


Star Wands and the Blue Spectre

by cystemic



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Alternate Universe - Crack, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Gen, I was sick when I started writing this, a cross between star wars and harry potter somehow?, also I cant be bothered listing all the characters, don't ask me, there are loads, who can say, will I ever finish?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-24
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2019-01-22 16:22:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 29,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12485804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cystemic/pseuds/cystemic
Summary: So basically, what would happen if Thrawn went to Hogwarts and Eli was there and it's like their time at the Military Academy but it's set in the Harry Potter universe. Don't think too hard about it. I sure didn't. Get ready for the adventures of Eli and Thrawn in magic land! 50 points to whoever can identify all of my terrible jokes, puns and references. HERE WE GO!





	1. Transfer Student

Eli trundled through the halls of Hogwarts castle, taking the longest route imaginable to Professor Palpatine’s office. It was the coldest day of winter yet and all the usual outdoor passages were covered in snow and swept by howling winds. So he decided to take a sizable detour through the much warmer hallways. Though warmer, in this case, did not mean entirely warm.  
  
He reached an open window and quickly pulled out his wand to shut it but the icy wind had already covered the sill in snow. Eli shivered, hugging himself and rubbing his hands up and down for warmth.   
  
 _Stupid cold,_  he thought to himself bitterly.   
  
Eli was born in much warmer climates and had been enjoying the ever changing scenery while his parents moved him from place to place. Along the way he’d picked up a myriad of languages, cultures and friends but then he turned eleven and his magical travelling childhood came to an end. Eli’s parents had been offered a full time position at one of the courier companies in London and upon settling down, a letter from Hogwarts had arrived without delay.

Eli wondered what it would have been like to go to school in a warmer place, like Beijing or Darwin where he’d spent time abroad. His friends, Jonas and Xui would no doubt have received letters or invitations similar to his own. But for some reason Eli hadn’t been bothered to write.  
  
He knew the reason, of course. From the moment, the Sorting Hat had screamed out the word “Hufflepuff!”, that stigma of stupidity and naivety had followed him wherever he went. Even his parents were a little disappointed when they told their colleagues at work and heard their snide comments.  
  
He tried to act like it didn’t bother him. He had plenty of good Hufflepuff friends and a lot of Gryffindor and Ravenclaws too. He’d argued with the Sorting Hat himself, given his talent for Arithmancy, he should surely be in Ravenclaw. But no. Here he was, rugged up inside the yellow and black robes, a big scarf wrapped around his face, trudging towards the headmaster’s office like a good little Hufflepuff.  
  
Palpatine had given him a very specific task in his second year. Eli had talent, oh yes. A talent for numbers and lists and inventory. And after single handedly reorganizing the Godric Gryffindor wing of the library, the headmaster had asked Eli to inventorize the Room of Requirement.  
  
Eli had enjoyed the work at first. He’d never seen or heard of so many magical objects as he found in the endless cupboards every day. Each one had to be researched before it could be categorized and stored in an appropriate container, labelled and marked in the proper order as he willed it. But as the days and weeks went on, Eli realized that Palpatine had potentially asked for the impossible.  
  
There was no end to the magical items and his interest was waning, especially after the Half Yearly Exams which he’d studied so hard for. Eli had been neglecting the Room of Requirement for several weeks now and he didn’t doubt why Professor Palpatine had pulled him out of class to talk.  
  
He came to the gargoyle statue that although seemed identical to the others lining the hall, had distinct scratch marks at the bottom. Several odd grooves lined the floor beneath it and Eli was sure it was the right one.  
  
“Through passion I gain strength,” Eli said wearily. Palpatine had about seven different pass phrases that he cycled through week to week and if it wasn’t this one, Eli was ready to recite the rest of them.   
  
But the gargoyle guardian acknowledged his words and slid off to the side with an unpleasant scraping sound that made Eli want to stuff yellow mittened fingers in his ears. He waited for the gargoyle to move, revealing the magically concealed staircase that led to Palpatine’s office and gave a great sigh before trudging up the steps.   
  
The headmaster was an  _old_  warlock. Powerful and wise. The kind of man that already knew what your were going to say and watched with mild amusement as you said it. Eli felt it was incredibly condescending at times but he didn’t complain. Sheev Palpatine was said to be the last man alive who knew the Dark Arts of the Sith. It was all for educational and defensive purposes of course, but the knowledge had taken a toll on the man.  
  
The headmaster sat comfortably behind his ornate desk, surrounded by a hundred portraits of his predecessors, all strangely present in their elaborate frames. But the latest headmaster was much less impressive.   
  
Pale, white skin hung from his diminished frame like washing out to dry, not helped by the fact that he wore a long black robe that did very much the same. But for all his age, the eyes that were set deep under his brow glowed very brightly yellow in the dim interior of his office.  
  
“Professor…” Eli mumbled as he entered the open door.  
  
“Eli Vanto,” Palpatine’s words rasped through his ears. “Just the boy I wanted to see.”  
  
Eli chewed his lip worriedly as his eyes darted away from the headmaster. He just couldn’t maintain eye contact with the old man and he found it much easier to watch the portraits around the room while they talked.  
  
“How is your work in the Room of Requirement coming along?” the headmaster asked.  
  
Eli breathed in, guilt eating away at him.  
  
“F-fine,” he said.  
  
“You worry you won’t be finished by the time you graduate?” Palpatine accused.  
  
“Yes, sir…” Eli admitted. “There’s just so much… stuff.” He raised his hands. “I feel like I’m drowning in it.”  
  
The headmaster smiled, that wicked knowing smile that Eli feared with all his heart.  
  
“I appreciate your honesty,” the old man said, shifting to lean onto his desk. “A rarity these days. But I called you here to discuss a more important matter.”  
  
Eli quickly turned to face the headmaster. The Room of Requirement was the only reason he ever spoke to Palpatine. He’d never gotten in trouble before. Did he do something wrong?   
  
“What is it, sir?” Eli asked worriedly.  
  
“I’m told you spent some time in East Asia before coming to Hogwarts, is that correct?”  
  
“Yes,” Eli said slowly, wondering why it was relevant.  
  
“You speak any Japanese? Russian?”  
  
“Some,” Eli nodded. It was mostly colloquial and his knowledge of Japanese kanji was sketchy at best but he could talk his way through a conversation without too much trouble. “My parents were working for a shipping company in Sakhalin for a while. They had a second office in Shibetsu.”  
  
“Good,” Palpatine’s mouth curled into a wicked grin. “And how much do you know about the Chiss?”  
  
Eli froze. His eyes widened and his hands curled into tight mittened fists.  
  
“Only what I read in the Quibbler, sir,” he lied, trying to smile.  
  
The headmaster raised an accusing eyebrow.  
  
“Come now, don’t be modest,” he said emphatically.  
  
Eli swallowed and looked down at his shoes.  
  
His friend, Shouta, had much to say about the myths surrounding Chiss. Magical people with blue skin and red eyes that lived in snow-capped volcanos and dragged victims inside to their doom. There was even a festival in his village where the townsfolk would burn incense and hit gongs to discourage the Chiss demons from coming near, even though there was a wide stretch of water seperating them from the nearest Kuril Island.  
  
His friend, Dimitri, had called Shouta an idiot. Dima was pragmatic and pointed out that the Japanese couldn’t hold their liquor and probably saw demons every time they downed a bottle of sake. The Russian Magistrate for Magical Affairs had combed the Kuril Islands top to bottom during a survey conducted in the 19th century and found only a few magical creatures that were certainly not even comparable to human beings.  
  
But apparently, something had been overlooked because the previous year had seen a spike in the appearance of blue humanoids all over the world. The Daily Prophet was quick to dismiss the claims as flightful fancy but publications such as the Quibbler quickly began printing blurry images of men and women with seemingly bluish skin quietly observing things in obscure places.   
  
An American publication called the New York Clarion was the first to capture a clear image of such a man but he refused interview, and his portrait never spoke to readers as the usual front page stories did. The discovery of new magical species triggered the curiousity of the magical scientific community and many pilgrimmages were made to the Kuril Islands where the Chiss were said to originate but none had been found.  
  
“They’re supposed to have blue skin,” Eli said carefully. “And red eyes?”  
  
Palpatine remained silent, listening intently.  
  
“And they don’t like outsiders,” Eli continued.   
  
“That much is true,” said a cold voice.   
  
Eli felt a shiver run down his spine. It wasn’t Palpatine who’d said those words.  
  
The Headmaster was leaning against his desk, observing him passively through templed fingers and Eli realised the man who’d spoken was standing right behind him.  
  
He contemplated turning but soon found no need as the tall stranger stepped forward. He was dressed in smart black robes, though of a cut Eli had never seen. A crisp white shirt and collar emerged from the vest and suit but there were no markings that would reveal his identity.  
  
Eli gingerly looked up at his face and found two bright red eyes gazing back at him curiously. His neat black hair shimmered in contrast to his pale blue skin and suddenly the young man had very little to say.  
  
The stranger regarded him for a moment and then turned to face Palpatine.  
  
“He will be sufficient,” he said with the hint of an American accent.   
  
“Very good." The headmaster nodded. “Though I fail to see why you would need an interpreter.”  
  
The stranger considered this.  
  
“Your English is strange here,” he said. “Almost as if there is a different dialect within every square kilometre. I would like an interpreter.”  
  
“If it’s a British interpreter you need, then I can arrange for someone else,” Palpatine began.  
  
“No,” the stranger said firmly.   
  
“As you wish.” Palpatine smiled cunningly.  
  
“Eli, I would like you to meet Mitth'raw'nuruodo. Our Chiss visitor.”  
  
Eli had not taken his eyes off the man and quickly turned to look at Palpatine. But then realized he was being introduced to someone and turned back.  
  
“I- I’m Eli Vanto,” he said, trying to keep his hand steady as he took off his glove.   
  
The Chiss looked at him curiously for a moment but shook his hand firmly. Eli felt the cold skin against his own and regloved his freezing fingers as soon as was polite.  
  
“It’s nice to meet you, Mith'raw'nurodo,” Eli said, stumbling over the name. It always took him a few tries to get pronunciation right.  
  
“I’m sorry, Mitth'raw'nuruodo,” he tried again.  
  
“A valiant attempt from young Eli, but perhaps your Core name would be more suitable to a classroom environment.”  
  
The Chiss nodded.  
  
“Call me Thrawn,” he told Eli. To which the boy nodded.  
  
“Wait, classroom?”  
  
“Mitth'raw'nuruodo has expressed interest in Hogwarts School as a place of learning for young Chiss,” Palpatine explained. “He’s asked to observe things here for a few months and I would like you to show him around.”  
  
“Me?” Eli wondered out loud. He looked up at the tall Chiss fellow and then quickly back at Palpatine. And now he realized why all the portraits were inside their frames today.   
  
“Well, if you’re sure…” he murmured.  
  
“Excellent,” Palpatine said. “Then there’s only one matter of business left to attend to.”  
  
He rose slowly from his seat and walked over to the tall book strewn shelf that also housed a number of magical artifacts, one of which was a tall, wide-brimmed hat that looked like it belonged in the garbage. The old wizard plucked it off the shelf with his bony white fingers and carried it over to Thrawn who watched him skepticly.  
  
“It’s enchanted,” he said, his glowing red eyes studying the Sorting Hat.  
  
“Yes,” Palpatine said. “Try it on.”  
  
He passed the hat to Thrawn but he didn’t put it on his head. He stared at the Hat intensely and Eli remembered his own Sorting experience. When he’d spoken to the Hat and asked politely if it might consider putting him in Ravenclaw. The conversation had gone on for what seemed like an eternity but when it finally cried out its decision, only a few moments had actually passed in reality.  
  
Thrawn spent a good few minutes glaring at the hat and then the corners of his mouth turned down.  
  
“Slytherin…” the Hat said out loud and Eli’s heart sank.  
  
 _Perfect,_  he thought to himself. A weird looking magical creature, in Slytherin? They’d eat him alive. But then a thought came to him.  
  
“But, why did he need to be sorted, Professor?” Eli asked curiously as Thrawn passed the Hat back to Palpatine.  
  
“Thrawn will be observing the students as much as the teachers,” Palpatine explained. “He will be studying alongside you.”  
  
“What?” Eli looked back at the tall man. “But he’s so old.”  
  
The Chiss looked at him curiously for a moment.  
  
“How old are you, Eli Vanto?” he asked passively.  
  
“Fifteen,” Eli replied automatically.  
  
The Chiss said nothing but Eli could have sworn he saw the corner of his mouth turn up.  
  
“How old are you, then?” Eli asked sharply.  
  
“Now, Eli,” Palpatine interrupted. “You are representing the best Hogwarts has to offer the Chiss. Remember that.”  
  
Eli pouted and sighed.  
  
“Yes, Professor Palpatine.”  
  
“Oh and one more thing.” The old wizard opened a drawer and pulled out a small yellow pin which he placed on his desk. “This is for you, Eli.”  
  
The disgruntled youth walked over to the desk and picked up the tiny badge. There was a big black 'P’ written on it.  
  
“Prefect?” Eli raised an eyebrow. “But Yogar Lyste is Prefect.”  
  
“I was going to give this to you next year but a few months in advance won’t hurt,” Palpatine told him. “You are to wear this only when Mitth'raw'nuruodo is present. Do you understand?”  
  
“Yes, sir.” Eli nodded eagerly. An odd condition, but being made Prefect more than made up for any details.  
  
“Very good. Now if you wouldn’t mind showing Mitth'raw'nuruodo to the dormitories…”  
  
“You mean…” Eli gulped. “The dungeons?”  
  
Thrawn raised an eyebrow.  
  
“You keep your young locked up in dungeons?” he asked curiously.  
  
“They used to be dungeons when the castle was built,” Eli explained quickly. “They’re fine now, quite livable, they’re just…”  
  
“Where the Slytherin House students board,” Palpatine finished for him.  
  
Thrawn lowered his inquisitive eyebrow. It was hard to tell if he was convinced or not, his passive expression was hard for Eli to read.  
  
He tucked the badge into his pocket.  
  
“Good day then, Professor,” he said and Palpatine waved them away.  
  
“Umm, follow me,” he said to Thrawn and turned to leave.  
  
The quiet footsteps of the Chiss followed him down the stairs as Eli left Palpatine’s office. 

_‘What a day…’_


	2. Into the Serpent's Den

The quiet footsteps of the Chiss followed him down the stairs as Eli tried to figure out the best way to get to the dungeons without setting foot outside. The gargoyle slid back into place behind them and Eli quickly settled on a route through the kitchens.

He walked off at a brisk pace, feet readily knowing where they were going. Then he slowed and turned slightly to glance behind him but the man named Thrawn had no trouble keeping up. He followed Eli at a respectable distance, his keen red eyes observing every inch of the castle as they walked.

"It's a bit snowed in right now," Eli said apologetically, trying to think of something to say and concluding that the weather would be the most innocuous topic. "It's a lot more picturesque in the summer."

"You think so?" The glowing red eyes found him.

"Ummm." Eli tried to maintain eye contact and found it surprisingly easier than doing so with Palpatine. "I just don't like the cold," he admitted.

Thrawn nodded. 

"There are many who share the sentiment," he said, contemplating.

Eli turned back to face the way he was going in time to detect a low stone arch which threatened to smack him in the face. He narrowly avoided it and Thrawn had to lean down to follow him into the stairwell.

"It must be cold, where you come from," Eli said, remembering the region around the Sea of Okhotsk. Half the sea was swallowed by enormous ice floes during winter and after braving two years in the region, his parents conveniently chose to move on instead of renegotiating their contract.

"There are many who think as you do," Thrawn told him.

Eli frowned. The strange blue man didn't want to say anything pertinent, that was clear, but he wasn't avoiding conversation, just certain topics.

"Your headmaster Palpatine said you spent some time there," he noted.

"Yes," Eli confirmed. "My Russian is better than my Japanese though," he added quickly. "Though my pronunciation is dreadful..."

"Truly?" Thrawn asked, switching to Russian.

"Sorry if I sound a little casual. I learned from my friend, Dima. He swears a lot."

"Your syntax is fine," Thrawn noted. "Russian expletives can be classified a language of their own. You are quite the polyglot," he said, eyeing him curiously. "Uncommon in English speakers. Particularly in the United States."

"You've been to America?" Eli asked excitedly.

"The North."

"Did you visit Ilvermorny too?" Eli quickly connected the dots.

Thrawn nodded.

"It's supposed to be one of the top wizarding schools in the world," Eli buzzed. "Nothing can be compared to Hogwarts, of course, but I would love to visit someday."

"You consider this institution to be superior?"

"Well, of course," Eli continued, his words perhaps not in the right order. He switched back to English to explain. "Magic has been present in Britain since they built Stonehenge and even magical historians aren't sure how they did it. Most of the greatest witches and wizards of the 20th century came from Hogwarts. It's an honor to attend. A privilege."

"Afforded to the few."

"All magical children get to attend," Eli pointed out testily, "regardless of family purity."

Thrawn said nothing. Eli sensed he was withholding opinions, like the young Hufflepuff often did when his teachers asked if he minded getting more homework.

"You might be in for a rough start," he told Thrawn as they made their way down into the bowels of the castle. "Being in Slytherin and all..."

"What is the significance of this Housing system?" Thrawn asked. "The bewitched hat was rather cryptic about it."

"Yeah, the Sorting Hat gets pretty lonely up in Professor Palpatine's office. It only gets used once a year so if it finds a reason to talk to somebody..."

Thrawn remained silent.

"Oh, right, the houses," Eli remembered. "They're supposed to be like your family while you stay here because it is a boarding school."

"It's kind of personality based. Like Ravenclaws are supposed to be smart and reserved. Hufflepuffs are kind and loyal. Gryffindors are brave and adventurous. And Slytherins..." Eli glanced behind him warily. "They're ummm, cunning and uuh, resourceful?"

"You don't sound convinced of your own words," Thrawn observed casually.

Eli sighed. He was trying to be diplomatic.

"They have a bit of a reputation, particularly for their dislike of muggleborns," he admitted dryly.

"I am not familiar with this word."

"Those born to non-magical parents."

"And the management sees it wise to group children with such prejudices together?" Thrawn asked curiously. "Would that not reinforce harmful stereotypes and disrupt the learning environment?"

"Umm..." Eli considered. "It's been like this since Hogwarts was founded."

"So you adhere to millennia old traditions despite their obvious flaws? Interesting..."

Eli frowned. He didn't see anything wrong with grouping students together by shared personality traits and opinions. He couldn't imagine himself sharing a dormitory with a Slytherin. He'd never sleep a wink.

"I don't think it's a bad idea..." Eli said quietly. "We all have our strengths and weaknesses."

"And would those weaknesses not be reinforced by the others' strengths?" Thrawn asked.

Eli swallowed.

"Ummm..."

"I'm making you uncomfortable. I apologize. That was not my intention."

"No, no, it's ok," Eli blustered. "I just don't have an answer to be honest."

"Honest." Thrawn pondered out loud, his eyes calculating, assessing. "Watch the statue."

Eli turned in time to swerve around a particularly swarthy unicorn cut of marble.

"Thanks." He scratched the back of his head, moving on but the quiet footsteps had stopped following him.

Eli turned back to find the Chiss standing beside the statue they had just passed.

"Remarkable," he muttered, lifting a hand up to his face. 

"It's just a really fat unicorn," Eli chuckled. "It's called Folly the Fat One."

The corner of Thrawn's mouth upturned ever so slightly and Eli smiled in turn. "Funny, right?"

"Yes." The glowing red eyes flickered. "Though not in the way that you think."

"What do you mean?" Eli looked at the statue closely. The unicorn's head was reared but all four feet were planted solidly on the ground. Her belly was round and her mane dishevelled. It was a piece of fine art, though the subject was less so.

"This unicorn is pregnant," Thrawn said.

"What?"

"And unicorn blood has remarkable restorative properties when given willingly. Am I correct in assuming we are close to the medical wing of this castle?"

"Y-yeah," Eli said with a lick of surprise. "We are. You think this statue is here on purpose?"

"Just a hypothesis," Thrawn told him, his gaze held by the statue. "There is much to be learned here." 

Eli looked at him curiously for a moment and then caught himself staring. "Well, uh, should we keep going?"

"Yes," Thrawn straightened, "of course. Lead the way."

The young Hufflepuff nodded and set off again. Quiet footsteps followed. 

"You're gonna love Hogwarts if you like art," he said. "I don't even know how many paintings and statues there are. Might even be more than the British Museum."

"We shall see," the cold words drifted over his shoulder but without malice. Eli was getting used to them already. He almost regretted Thrawn being sorted into Slytherin. His manners would likely evaporate by the end of the week.

"Tell me of this Slytherin House," Thrawn said as if reading his mind. 

"Uh, what would you like to know?" 

"How did it come into existence?"

"Well, Hogwarts was founded by the four brightest witches and wizards of the age."

"Brightest? What is meant by this?"

"Uh, talented?"

"In what respect?"

"In different ways, I guess. Each of them were powerful witches or wizards," Eli affirmed. "There was Helga Hufflepuff, Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin."

"Who gave their names to each of these Houses."

"Yes. Salazar Slytherin is the founder of Slytherin House. The symbol is a snake on silver and green."

"Slytherin had an affinity for serpents?"

"He was supposedly a parseltongue," Eli said.

"What does this mean?" Thrawn asked skeptically.

"He could speak to snakes."

"Physically or magically?"

"Uuuh, I don't know. I've never met a parseltongue." Eli shrugged. 

"So it is an uncommon ability?"

"Very." Eli nodded. "That's probably why the symbol of Slytherin is a serpent."

"Interesting," Thrawn pondered quietly as they passed the kitchens.

Eli stopped beside a thin corridor covered in shadow.

"The Hufflepuff common room is through there," he said. "If you ever need to find me, you can walk down there and tap on the wall three times with your wand. Someone should answer."

Thrawn's eyes glinted red as he gazed into the shadows.

"You live here?" he asked.

"Yes. Just don't tap any of the barrels," Eli warned. "If you get the sequence wrong, it'll trigger the booby trap."

"Your dormitory is booby trapped?"

"Uh, yeah," Eli said. "Sorry but I don't make the rules."

"Clearly."

Eli winced at the assumption. He was just a student but still. A little extra protection never hurt the Hufflepuffs, only the Slytherins that felt like pranking them. 

"You are offended," Thrawn observed.

"No," Eli said suddenly. "No, I just... never thought about it."

"You need protection." Thrawn nodded. "A sanctuary."

"I- no- well..." Eli fumbled. "Let's just keep moving."

"Very well."

They headed deeper down into the castle and the air grew colder, the spaces tighter. The stone was black and the windows disappeared. 

"We're in the dungeons now," Eli said. "Almost there."

He heard the man behind him sniffing.

"There is a much higher concentration of moisture in the air," he observed.

"It's a little damp down here," Eli admitted. "But that's cos we're on the edge of the lake. Some of the Slytherins have windows that open up onto the lake floor. They say you can see the giant squid sometimes."

"It does not disturb the students?"

"No," Eli said. "It's quite placid. Never killed anyone. Not from the school anyway. It's the merpeople you want to watch out for. They get pretty territorial when Professor Palpatine isn't looking."

"Does he communicate with them often?"

"Uh, I don't know." Eli shrugged. "You'll know more than I do, soon enough."

They descended further and further, their path illuminated by torches which never dimmed. There were few things worse than being lost in the dungeons, as many a first year student had learned.

Eli suddenly felt incredibly tense. They were approaching the Slytherin dorm and he had more than a few reservations about stepping inside. 

"Did, uh, Professor Palpatine tell you the password to get inside the common room?"

"He did not."

"Oh," Eli muttered. "Great."

He fished out the badge he'd stuffed in his pocket and looked at it briefly, tracing the edge with a thumb. The little black 'P' hovered on yellow and gave Eli a little boost of confidence. 

He pinned it on and walked into the Slytherin corridor with bated breath.

"You are tense," the cold words drifted over his shoulder.

"Oh? Uh, maybe a little." Eli rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "We'll see how this goes."

He pulled out his wand and cleared his throat before tapping on the stone wall three times.

"What do you want Puff-face?" an incensed voice called from the ether.

"Can I, uh, speak to a prefect?"

"What do you want with the prefects, Puff-face?"

Eli swallowed, maintaining his cool.

"Professor Palpatine sent me. I'm escorting a new student."

"Another puff-face?" the voice jeered. "We don't want 'im."

"He's a Slytherin," Eli said. "He doesn't know the password. Can I speak to a prefect, please?"

"Urgh, fine. Hey Pryce!"

"What is it, Humphrey?" they heard a young woman say with disinterest.

"There's a Puff-face wanna talk to you."

An audible sigh.

"Very well..." She came closer. "This is Arihnda Pryce," she said much more enthusiastically. "Who am I speaking to?"

"Uh, my name is Eli Vanto," he said. "Professor Palpatine asked me to escort a new Slytherin student to the dormitories."

"Well, give us a look at him."

Eli swallowed again.

He turned around and offered a hand to Thrawn who looked at it oddly for a moment, then took it. 

It felt cold against Eli's palm but the magic flowed from the wall, through his wand, his hand and then Thrawn's hand and-

"What the hell is that?!" the first Slytherin burst out.

"Shut up." Arihnda shoved him hard and he fell back into an unfortunate piece of furniture. "Sorry about the first years. They're a little excitable. You sure he's one of ours?" she asked diplomatically. 

"The Sorting Hat seems to think so."

"Isn't he, you know, a bit old?"

"Professor Palpatine didn't seem to think so."

"Right..." Arihnda sighed again. "Come on in, I suppose."

The wall rumbled and the brick and mortar shifted, changing and moving, revealing a dark passage into the Slytherin common room.

Eli gulped audibly, still holding his wand and grasping Thrawn's hand a little tighter than necessary.

"Relax," the cold word drifted over his shoulder. "No harm will befall you here."

"I'm not afraid," Eli said quickly, letting go of Thrawn and tucking his wand back into his robe. "Let's go," he announced and took a tentative step through the passage.

Quiet footsteps followed as they entered the Slytherin common room. It was larger than Eli thought it would be. Certainly, larger than the cosy common room in the Hufflepuff dorm.

The long room they entered had stone walls cut of ebony and long green carpets with silver tassels. Similar curtains and banners adorned the walls and every piece of furniture from the tables to the armchairs had a visible ornament of a serpent incorporated into it. 

Beyond the great glass windows at the end of the room, they could see the bottom of the lake, dark and murky from the frozen shell that covered it in winter.

The Slytherins were scattered about the common room and unlike Eli had imagined, sat quietly, studying or reading. A seventh-year with a sallow complection and short black hair greeted them with a forced smile.

"Welcome," she said, eyeing Thrawn with some curiousity. "I am Arihnda Pryce. Prefect for Slytherin House." 

"Hi," Eli said awkwardly, feeling the weight of the collective Slytherins' gaze on him. "Uuuh..."

"I am Mitth'raw'nuruodo," the words drifted over his shoulder.

The eyes suddenly all looked at him and Eli felt immensely relieved.

"You can call me Thrawn," he said. "I will be observing your school for a time, with Professor Palpatine's permission."

"I see," Arihnda said, trying to make her smile look more convincing. "Please, make yourself at home."

"Thank you."

"You can go," she said to Eli.

"I... " Eli began but then he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Alright."

He turned around and looked at the tall blue man one last time. 

"If you need anything... I'm-"

"In the third corridor west of the kitchens, behind a stone wall against which I should knock three times."

"Yeah." Eli nodded. "I'll... see you around, I guess."

"Yes." 

There was little to be read on his expressionless face and Eli resigned himself to the fact that he would likely be speaking to him for the last time. He made his way out through the open passage, content to never set foot inside it ever again.

"The house elves were preparing a new room only a short while ago," he heard Arihnda say. "I suppose it's for you."

Eli looked back and watched her thread an arm around Thrawn's and lead him into the Slytherin common room and it almost made him feel sick.


	3. Thursday Morning

Eli trudged into Charms class with a heavy bag filled to the brim with textbooks, quills and parchment. He parked it under a desk beside his friend Zare and exchanged greetings with a few other Hufflepuffs before sitting down to unload his school supplies.

"Heard you got sent to the Headmaster's office yesterday, Vanto," a snide voice commented behind him. "He thinking of sending you overseas permanently?" 

Eli turned to find Spenc Orbar and Rosita Turuy laughing up a storm with some other Slytherins. He hated Thursday morning Charms class for this very reason. Why couldn't they pair up with one of the other Houses?

"Lay off, Orbar," Zare interrupted. "You'd be lucky to get sent to the janitor's closet with grades like yours."

"Oh, watch out boys, this Puff-face looks like he's gonna hug me to death." The boy feigned fright.

The other Slytherins guffawed despite the poor quality banter and Eli rolled his eyes.

"Just ignore 'em," he said to Zare. "They do this every time."

"They can't keep getting away with it," he whispered back.

"What are you Huffle-dorks mumbling about?" Orbar jeered. "And you didn't answer my question, Puff-face." He kicked Eli's chair.

"Quit it, Spenc!" Eli turned. "I mean it."

"Oooh, looks like we made the Puff-face mad." Orbar poked his cheek and leaned in real close. "Wotcha gonna do about it?"

Eli grit his teeth and sneered. Spenc was doing this on purpose to provoke him and it was working. Somewhere deep inside Eli wanted to punch the smug Slytherin in his stupid face but the rest of him knew it would only make matters worse. They weren't allowed to fight at school and the teacher would arrive any minute.

"Aaaw, look. I think he's gonna cry," Orbar mocked and Rosita and the others burst into a fit of laughter that made Eli wilt. It pervaded the classroom and spread to every other student until a sea of green was pointing and laughing at him.

Eli felt his lip begin to quiver. He hated attention and he hated being laughed at but there was nothing he could do. None of the other Hufflepuffs were brave enough to intercede and he couldn't blame them; fourth-year Slytherins were honestly the worst.

"Excuse me," a cold voice interrupted the laughter. 

The words weren't loud but there was enough authority behind them to silence Orbar and his cronies. They stood stock still, paralysed at having been caught doing deeds of ill repute and suddenly their faces were very guilty indeed.

The students turned to see a tall man with blue skin enter the room and the crowd parted as he made his way towards Orbar. Bright red eyes settled on the boy and he could only stare up at them in fear.

"Is this seat taken?" Thrawn said calmly, pointing to the desk beside Eli's.

"Uuuh, uh, n-no. No. Go right ahead," Orbar scrambled out of the way, followed by the other Slytherins.

"Thank you," the Chiss said politely and sat down beside Eli. "Good morning."

"Uuuh..." Eli ummed, sniffing away what could have been tears. "Good morning, sir."

"Has the educator arrived yet?"

"Uh, no. Professor Deenlark will be here soon. He usually arrives right on the hour."

"I see," Thrawn said.

He was wearing the same black suit and robes as the day before but it looked cleaner, freshly pressed. And his shoulders were draped with a silver and green scarf with the Slytherin emblem on it. He reached into the chest pocket of his robe and pulled out a thin silver tablet with an long stylus.

"What's that?" Eli asked curiously.

"A notebook." Thrawn put it down on the table and the screen lit up, spiralling an elegant set of characters through start up.

"What? Muggle tech doesn't work at Hogwarts." Eli scrupuled the device.

"This is not muggle technology," Thrawn said simply and tapped at it with his stylus. 

The screen lit up with plain English letters that read "The Standard Book of Spells: Grade 4."

Eli turned to look back at the fat stack of leather bound tomes on his desk and found himself experiencing a rare tingle of jealousy.

"You know this guy?" Zare nudged him suddenly.

"Hmm?" Eli broke out of his own thoughts. "Oh this is Mister... Thrawn."

Zare's already wide eyes widened further as he leaned in and whispered. "Is he-"

"Good morning, students," Professor Deenlark marched into the room at precisely nine o'clock. 

"Good morning, Professor," they said in fractured unison.

"Now, I hope everyone did the homework I assigned you. Everyone should be able to tell me the name the wizard that invented the Summoning Charm."

"Elan Sleezebaggano..." the class droned wearily.

"Orbar, what are you doing out of your seat?" Deenlark snapped as he approached the lectern.

"Uh, I was just sitting down, sir," the boy said.

"Well, hurry up, we don't have all day." Deenlark pulled the Standard Book of Spells off the overflowing shelf behind him.

"Now, as I understand it, we have a guest staying with us at Hogwarts," he said, nodding at Thrawn. "He'll be studying amongst you for the next few months so please make him feel welcome and all the necessary pleasantries."

Thrawn nodded back.

"But expect no change in the lesson structure. If I see anyone whispering or wasting time jibbering about Mister Thrawn or the Chiss, you'll find yourself deducted of House points and in detention. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Professor Deenlark," the class droned out of time.

"Alright, let's review." Deenlark opened the tome on his lectern and a cloud of dust escaped its pages, spreading through the room and catching light from the long castle windows.

Thrawn tapped the tablet on his desk and Eli watched him draw a few weird symbols on the blank surface. Then he switched back to the textbook.

"Gimm," Deenlark said.

"Yes, sir?" the boy in green answered quickly. 

"When was the summoning charm invented?"

"Some time during the 6th century."

"Why?"

"Elan Sleezebaggano developed a terrible case of treacle gout in the later half of his life, making it hard for him to move. He invented the charm so he wouldn't have to get up and move to pick up small objects."

"Excellent, 5 points to Slytherin," Deenlark nodded and Gimm grinned maliciously at the Hufflepuff girl sitting nearby.

"But enough theory. Open up your textbooks to page three hundred and ninety-" he checked the number. "-three."

Eli flung his heavy tome open and began flicking through the pages as Thrawn quickly skipped ahead to the right section on his tablet. It was a magical diagram of energy displacement created by the spell.

"As you can see, the spell diagram shows the direction of magical energy flowing inward, thereby summoning the object of your spell to you," Deenlark said. "To direct these energies, we trace the curve of the apex magica with our wands like so." 

He pulled out a long brown rod and demonstrated.

"In combination with the incantation 'Accio' followed by a short descriptor of the object you are trying to summon, the energy focuses on the point of your wand, creating an invisible vortex that sucks the object in."

Eli dutifully wrote all of this down in quick shorthand and did a sketch of the diagram to study the energy flow for himself. He found that drawing the apex magica often helped prepare him to use the same movement in wand work. However, Thrawn sat quite still beside him, stylus ready to write but nothing except the strange characters he'd written earlier could be seen on the screen.

"Wands away for now. I want you to observe this first," Deenlark said. He pointed his at a bookshelf in the back of the classroom and flicked his wrist in a practiced motion. "Accio Chasing Charms."

A thick red tome slipped off the shelf and slowly floated across the room toward him until it reached his wand. Deenlark quickly plucked the book out of mid air and demonstrated it.

"You see?" he said.

There was a scattered murmur through the students as Deenlark floated the book back to its place. He performed the spell several more times, summoning books from all sides of the room to show the wand technique from different angles.

"You must also be aware of how much energy you channel into the spell," he positted. "Too little and your object will fall to the floor before it reaches you. Too much and it will fly at your face with breakneck speed which is why I've borrowed some cotton balls from the Hospital Wing for you to practice with."

Thrawn suddenly began writing something at Eli's side. He watched the stylus make elaborate strokes on the digital page, incomprehensible to the young wizard's mind but that didn't stop him from admiring it. He always loved watching Shouta do calligraphy in Japanese. Something in the number of strokes. He liked to count in his head.

"Eli," Zare said.

"Huh?" He turned to find the boy passing him a bag of cotton balls. "Thanks."

Eli took a handful and passed the bag to Thrawn who only took one. The bag made its way through the classroom and Professor Deenlark instructed them to split up into pairs and summon each others cotton ball. 

Eli turned to look at Zare hopefully but he had already paired up with Jai.

"Sorry, mate. There's an even number on this side of the room," he said apologetically.

"It's alright," Eli sighed. 

He always got picked last for everything and he was quite used to it by now. He turned to find Thrawn scrutinising his cotton ball through narrowed eyes.

"Ummm," Eli said. "Do you want to pair up?"

The bright red eyes found him.

"If you wish." Thrawn's brow unfurrowed and he put the cotton ball down on the desk. 

"I'll... go first then?" Eli said.

Thrawn nodded.

The boy sheepishly pulled out his wand. Seven inch and three quarter yew with a core of dragon heartstring. He concentrated on the tiny white ball across the way before waving his wand and saying "Accio Cottonball."

It rolled around on Thrawn's desk like a wingless bat.

"Fascinating..." Thrawn said curiously, eyes wide. 

"Urgh," Eli groaned. "It's not working."

"Perhaps you should consult the diagram?" 

So he did. It was the same as when he looked at it before. He retraced the apex magica from the book and practiced the movement with his wand all the while his handful of cotton balls drifted off the table.

Eli caught the last of them leaving his peripheral vision and followed it all the way to Thrawn's open hand. It landed gently beside the others and a long blue finger poked it curiously.

"How are you doing that?" Eli asked irritably. "And where's your wand?"

Thrawn shrugged and put the cottonballs down.

"The diagram is very concise," he said, holding up the tablet.

"What do you mean?" Eli seethed at his own textbook. "I traced the curve like Professor Deenlark said."

"You trace the line of power," Thrawn corrected. "But it is fed by the control operator and this sine curve here."

"No, that can't be right." Eli shook his head.

"Havin' a little trouble there, Puff-face," Rosita sneered from the desk in front of them.

Thrawn lifted a hand and the textbook in front of her drifted off the table and into the air for him to read. He pointed to the diagram and traced a new curve through the lines, connecting three of them.

"Like this," he said, leaving a silver line that revealed the true curve.

Eli studied the pattern and practise-waved his wand a few times.

"Hey!" Rosita grabbed her book and glared at Thrawn.

"Accio Book of Spells," Eli said and traced the curve.

The book began drifting out of the girl's hands but she held it tight.

"Oh no, you don't," she said through gritted teeth. 

Eli pulled harder, focusing more energy into the spell and Rosita had to fight to keep hold of the book.

"Professor!" she yelled and Eli let go.

The spell vanished and so did the force pulling the book towards him. Without it to keep balance, Rosita fell back and toppled head first over the desk. She landed with a comically loud thud and the book splayed on her head.

"He-" she began but was drowned out by laughter from both sides of the room.

Hufflepuffs and Slytherins giggled and guffawed at the slapstick and Rosita went bright red as she took the book off her head.

"Alright, enough," Deenlark snapped and the students quietened but grinned and chuckled nonetheless. "What happened?"

"They summoned my book," Rosita sneered, pointing at Thrawn and Eli.

"Is this true?" Deenlark narrowed his eyes.

Eli gulped. He hated getting into trouble.

"Yes," Thrawn said simply. "She didn't seem to be using it at the time but latched on with an unexpected fervour."

"You admit to taking another student's property?"

"I had every intent of returning it," Thrawn remarked. "And I would think, given the structure of this lesson, you would have us move on from cottonballs to books as you have demonstrated. I apologise for any misunderstanding."

Deenlark frowned and turned to Eli.

"And you?"

"I..." Eli began shakily. "I did summon her book, Professor. I'm sorry."

"I see," Deenlark sneered. "I am extremely disappointed in you, Mr Vanto. Five points from Hufflepuff."

Eli's mouth opened to argue but that was beyond him. He wilted again, weathering glares from every other Hufflepuff.

"An observation, if you would, Professor," Thrawn said suddenly.

Deenlark's patience was visibly running out as he breathed out through his nose sharply.

"Fine."

"You reward students for demonstrating diligence, knowledge and ability with House points, yes?"

"That is correct."

"The objective of this lesson is to successfully summon an object with the specified spell."

"Your point, Mr Thrawn?" Deenlark hissed.

"Eli Vanto successfully performed a summoning charm in the presence of witnesses and is being reprimanded for this girl's hubris," Thrawn said simply.

"Class misconduct is grounds for removal of House points and detention, Mr Thrawn."

"I do not disagree. Should he not, however, be awarded points for demonstrating the skill none of the other students have managed to develop?"

An awkward silence filled the classroom as Deenlark seethed beside a Slytherin student's desk. It was clear where his preferences lay but in this case a Slytherin was advocating for a Hufflepuff and the line began to blur.

"I suppose," he sighed. "However, I didn't see Mr Vanto perform the charm, therefore I cannot award him the points."

"You have multiple witnesses claiming that he did. As an educator, is it not your duty to investigate claims made against your students?"

"What do you want, Mr Thrawn? Just spit it out." Deenlark sighed.

"Only that Eli Vanto be given the opportunity to demonstrate his skill and be judged accordingly."

"Fine," Deenlark said. "If he can summon this book from my hand right now, he can have the points back."

Thrawn nodded calmly and turned to look at Eli's frightened expression. He felt like he was going to die of embarassment and then his ghost would roam the halls of Hogwarts moaning about Summoning Charms and cursing every Chiss in existence.

"I-I..." he muttered.

"Can you perform the charm or not?" Deenlark said irritably.

"I'm not sure."

"He can," Thrawn said quickly. "Go on."

Eli wasn't sure whether to be flattered or angry that the Chiss had so much confidence in him but he decided to try it. He lifted his wand and traced out the curve of the apex magica supplemented by the control vectors Thrawn had shown him on the diagram.

"Accio Standard Book of Spells," he said, pointing to the tome in Deenlark's hand.

It escaped his grip and drifted through the air as Eli concentrated on keeping his energy output steady. And then it was right in front him, hovering by the end of his wand. The boy reached out and plucked the book out of mid air, a happy grin spreading across his face.

"I did it," he said.

"So it would seem," Deenlark sighed. "Five points to Hufflepuff, I suppose." 

A cheer went up from the yellow side of the room as Eli experienced a very strong pat on the back from Zare.

"Good one, Eli. You're a genius at Charms."

"Haha. Just the one."

The green side of the room sneered and went back to harassing their cottonballs, each trying to match the Hufflepuff's victory. Their ambition and competitive nature drove another two students to perform a mildly successful Summoning Charm before class ended.

"Alright, for your homework, I want you to practice your wand work and study the diagram. We'll have a bit more practice and theory next lesson before we move on to the displacement charm," Deenlark said as they began packing up.

Thrawn put the tablet back in his coat pocket and got up, towering over Eli who fumbled to pack up all of his things.

"Hey, uh..." he began as his friends waved goodbye to him.

"Bye, Eli."

"See you later, guys," he waved back and Thrawn turned to leave.

"Mister Thrawn!" Eli said a little louder than intended.

The Chiss slowly turned back to face him.

"Yes?"

"Thank you," Eli said. "Thanks for stickin' up for me."

"That's not necessary."

"I think it is, sir," Eli said stubbornly. 

"Will that be all?"

"Uh, yeah. See you around, I guess."

"You will."

The Chiss turned to leave and Eli watched him go, black robes billowing behind him. But just as he was about to disappear out the door, a furious whirlwind of black and green stormed past him.

"Professor!" Arihnda Pryce said rather loudly, catching him off guard.

Deenlark flinched and almost dropped the bag of cottonballs he was collecting.

"I need to speak to you about my grade for last week's test," she said, unravelling a long scroll of parchment. It rolled down onto the desk beside Deenlark and over the table. "You gave me an Average, when my long response was clearly an Outstanding."

"You treatise on physical theory in charms was well written and concise. It covered all the key topics we learned this term, but you failed to provide any adequate sources as to your deductions."

"I referenced several leading theorists in the realm of physical energy," she argued. "Stephen Hawking being the primary source."

"Hawking is a squib and a charlatan," Deenlark sniffed. "What he has to say on the magical energies of the universe is irrelevant."

"I would disagree," Thrawn interrupted.

Deenlark sighed.

"I've rather had enough of your disagreements for today, Mr Thrawn," he said wearily. "You too, Ms Pryce. I gave you the mark you deserve."

"You disregard the greatest theoretical physicist of our time for his disability?"

"This is not about the disease plaguing his body but rather that he cannot perform magic, let alone theorize on the origins of the universe."

"A man does not need magic to measure and observe the world around him," Thrawn said coldly. "Hawking's theories of cosmology merged both general relativity and quantum mechanics to explain the creation, state and ultimate fate of the universe, magic or no."

Deenlark shook his head.

"It matters not. Ms Pryce was required to reference three witches or wizards that shaped the foundations of quantum magical theory."

"Was this stated in the question?"

Deenlark paused and Pryce quickly flicked through the voluminous scroll, back to the beginning and read the question.

"Using examples, discuss the significance of quantum magical theory in advanced charms and practices used today."

"It seems you failed to specify whether or not the references Ms Pryce could use were restricted to witches or wizards," Thrawn said coolly.

"Is this going to be a thing with you?" Deenlark smirked. "I will not tolerate any further meddling from you on behalf of the students." He pointed a severe finger at Thrawn.

"Maybe she should talk to the Headmaster, then," Eli said suddenly. He'd been quietly packing his things as the conversation unfolded.

"What?" Deenlark spat.

"I'm just saying, if she disagrees with the way you marked it, then maybe Professor Palpatine could have a look at it." The boy shrugged.

"Yes," Thrawn agreed. "An unbiased opinion would be welcome in this dispute."

"There is no dispute," Deenlark insisted. 

"There will be when I'm through," Pryce said stiffly. "I studied really hard for this test and you're marking it down because you hate the magically disabled?" 

"I never said that."

"You called Stephen Hawking a squib and a charlatan," Eli said. "That's not very nice."

"It definitely shows prejudice," Thrawn nodded.

"Damn it all!" Deenlark fumed. "Fine! Give me the scroll." He snatched the parchment out of Pryce's hands and wandered over to the lectern where a quill awaited ink.

Deenlark scratched out the Average and put a big Outstanding beside it.

"There. Happy?" He passed it back to the happy Slytherin. "Now get out of here. All of you."

They shrugged and turned to leave.

"And I don't want to see you in my classes ever again." He pointed at Thrawn.

"I'm afraid that's not up to you," he said coolly and turned to finally leave.

Eli watched Deenlark's face turn red with fury and worried about his future Charms lessons with the disgruntled professor. He worried about Thrawn even moreso. A single lesson in and he ended up undermining Deenlark's authority to the point of blatant antagonism. And all of it was so smoothly done. Like it was all part of some elaborate plan.

Eli breathed out a deep sigh of relief as he left the classroom. The castle bell tolled and he realised he was already late for Herbology.

Thrawn and Pryce were stalking away down a dark corridor toward the dungeons and Eli watched them go.

"Slytherins..." he thought quietly.

Then he shook his head and ran off.


	4. Duelling Club

The Duelling Club had always been a popular activity among Hogwarts students who were encouraged to learn how to defend themselves in a safe and carefully monitored environment. Several teachers would always be present and the Great Hall would be emptied of its long tables to make room for the sizable number of participants.   
  
The spell of the day would be demonstrated at the beginning of the lesson and then the students would be broken up into rotating pairs to practice with each other. Some used the opportunity to concentrate on perfecting the spell rather than beating their opponent while others simply endeavoured to pick on the weaker students which often lead to rivalries between the Houses.  
  
Eli had joined the Duelling Club under the sage advice and persistent nagging of a young Gryffindor named Ezra Bridger and there was no doubt it had benefited them both. Though Eli’s power was quite tempered compared to the other boy’s, his technique was flawless and Eli was capable of holding his own against Ezra’s powerful stuns and jinxes which actually threatened to flatten some of the first years.  
  
It was a fornightly activity that Eli enjoyed very much but when he arrived at the Great Hall, his good mood was instantly dampened.  
  
In the far corner on the right, Eli spotted a tall, black figure observing the magnicent cylindrical sandglasses that displayed the Hogwarts House points in four brightly bejewelled colours. 

It was Thrawn. 

Eli could tell by the hushed whispers that scurried through the crowd of students who were waiting for the fun to start.   
  
He hadn’t told the Chiss about the Duelling Club but the man always had a way of knowing exactly what Eli was thinking. Sometimes, he even suspected Legilimency but Thrawn never uttered a single spell, making it perplexingly hard to figure out what he was up to. His magic was strange, bizarre even and Eli had given up trying to comprehend it. All he wanted was a single evening free of the persistent questions and odd looks from the mysterious Chiss. But no.  
  
“Hey, Eli!” Ezra called out. A hand quickly found his shoulder and Eli broke out of his stormcloud of thoughts.  
  
“Hey,” he smiled. “How are you?”  
  
“Alright,” Ezra smiled. “And you?”  
  
“Alright,” Eli replied, glad he wasn’t bringing up _You-know-who_.  
  
“Hey, Puff Face! Where’s your blue buddy?” Chopper called from behind.  
  
“Ignore him.” Ezra shook his head  
  
“Oi, Puff Face!” Chopper kept calling in that low bass he’d developed over the summer. “I’m talking to you!”  
  
“Oh, yeah?” Eli turned, suddenly furious. “Because all I hear is _wah wah waaah._ ”   
  
“You’ll hear a lot more after this,” the ginger haired boy pulled out his wand but Eli was already brandishing his own.  
  
They glared at each other fiercely but soon realized that neither of them could move.  
  
“Is there a problem here?” a cold voice drifted over his shoulder and the magic holding them in place was lifted.  
  
“No,” Eli said, putting his wand away.  
  
But the look on Chopper’s face was priceless. The ginger midget had no clue how tall Thrawn really was, always picking on Eli when the Chiss wasn’t there. But when faced with the real thing, there was every chance his pants would need changing before the Duelling Club started.  
  
“I- I-” he stuttered.  
  
“…were about to leave,” Thrawn offered.   
  
Chopper didn’t need to be told twice and quickly wheeled about towards the growing group of Slytherins on the other side of the room.  
  
“You didn’t need to do that,” Eli said without turning.  
  
“I know.”   
  
The sound of his quiet footsteps was lost in the tumult of the Great Hall and its growing occupancy but Eli knew he was gone, lost in the crowd, watching, waiting.  
  
“Wow, your friend is a little intense.” Ezra rubbed the back of his head. “Is he really one of those Chiss things?”  
  
“Yeah,” Eli said, sighing out the tension.  
  
“Huh. I had an uncle that once tried to charm a blueberry pie to bake itself,” Ezra said thoughtfully. “Turned him purple instead. Poor Uncle Zeb…”  
  
“Hey, come on. It’s starting!” A Gryffindor girl with bright blue hair came to tug at Ezra’s arm and he let her lead him away with a smitten smile on his face.  
  
Eli rolled his eyes and followed as the many students gathered in the center of the room, leaving a duelling strip free in the center. Professors Jarrus and Konstantine stepped into the clearing, keeping a good distance as they regarded one another stiffly.  
  
Eli spotted Professor Syndulla taking a seat on a lonely bench at the end of the room. She and Professor Jarrus always volunteered at the same time and everyone knew why. Unravelling a copy of the Daily Prophet, she settled in to wait until the demonstration was over.   
  
Eli caught sight of a dark shadow moving towards her with the corner of his eye and quickly looked away. He’d had enough of Thrawn’s mysterious lurking during the day.  
  
“Today, we’re going to be covering the Bubble Jinx,” Professor Jarrus told them and Eli smiled to himself.  
  
If there was one thing that cleaning up the Room of Requirement had taught him, it was how to perform a stellar bubble Jinx to trap some of the more aggressive magical items while he analysed them. But none of his friends knew that.  
  
“You will use the following movement,” Professor Konstantine demonstrated the circular motion and subsequent flick with his wand. “And the word ‘Ebublio’.”  
  
And before Professor Jarrus could react, a large white bubble enveloped the space around him and knocked him off his feet.  
  
“Could have used a warning,” he said, brushing himself off as he got back up.   
  
“And you can control the location of the bubble like this,” Konstantine demonstrated by lifting Kanan’s bubble prison into the air.  
  
“But don’t try lifting your classmates this high,” Jarrus warned, folding his arms sternly. “It’s dangerous and you need to learn to control it first.”  
  
Konstantine brought the bubble back down and let it erupt into nothing as Jarrus gently touched down on the ground.  
  
“Any questions?” he asked.  
  
“What if the bubble flies away?” a Hufflepuff named Tua asked innocently. A rough looking girl quickly shoved her away and took her place in the front.  
  
“The bubble will  _not_ fly away” Professor Jarrus assured with a deep sigh. “It takes a lot of practice to get it moving. We want you to focus on just making the bubble today.”  
  
“Any other questions? No?” Konstantine looked around the room. “Very well, split up into pairs.”  
  
The two of them walked off to shepherd both sides of the room and Eli saw a dark shadow moving in the corner of his eye. Professor Syndulla was no longer seated and her bright green eyes were staring daggers at Thrawn as he drifted over to the other side of the room.  
  
Eli wondered what the Chiss could have said to upset the kind and caring woman in such a short span of time but then he remembered he was ignoring him.   
  
 _‘There is no Thrawn,’_  he thought to himself. _'There is peace…’  
_  
And the idea made him feel a little better. He quickly paired up with a Ravenclaw named Numa and happily demonstrated his bubble making skills as the first to successfully cast the Ebublio jinx in front of everyone assembled. There were a few jealous groans from the green side of the room but all the other colours raced in to consult Eli on how he’d done it. And the humble young man was only too happy to help.  
  
Within an hour, all of his friends had successfully cast the bubble jinx and he began demonstrating how to make it move when a loud **POP!** sounded from the other side of the hall.  
  
One of the Slytherins had created a bubble around a second year Gryffindor and raised him high into the air despite the teachers warnings. The professors were distracted by another rowdy bunch when the bubble burst and the boy fell swiftly, stopping within an inch of the ground by the will of some invisible force.  
  
The entire room turned to look at him, suspended in mid-air before landing gently where he would have almost certainly hurt himself. Eli frowned and quickly swung his head around to the last place he’d seen the dark shadow lurking and sure enough, Thrawn was there with a hand outstretched, red eyes glowing with concentration.  
  
Eli’s friends turned to look at what he was looking at and then their friends and their friends. Quite soon everyone was staring at Thrawn and Eli cursed himself. He’d promised he wasn’t going to think about the Chiss tonight but it was impossible. He was unavoidable.  
  
“Uh, thank you,” Professor Jarrus said first.  
  
Thrawn nodded, watching the boy who had fallen intently and then his bright red gaze caught the one who had jinxed him. There were no words that needed to be spoken for the young Slytherin to know his meaning and he quickly began apologizing.  
  
“I’m sorry, alright? I was only having a laugh!”  
  
“You think the misfortune of others is laughable?” the cold voice rang out through the Great Hall.  
  
There was an odd silence and then Eli heard himself say, “He’s got a point.”  
  
“Yeah, that’s way past being a jerk!” Ezra joined in. “He should get detention.”  
  
“And a suspension!” someone shouted.  
  
“Fifty points from Slytherin!”  
  
“He said he was sorry,” another boy stepped in to defend him.  
  
“What if he’d smashed his face in? Would saying sorry make that better?” the girl with blue hair sneered.  
  
“Alright, alright, enough!” Professor Syndulla called out.  
  
“Are you alright, Benchi?” She kneeled down beside the boy who was still in shock. “Come on, let’s get you up.”  
  
“You two are coming to see the headmaster,” Jarrus said sternly, catching the Slytherin by the scruff of his robes as he tried to run. “Come on.”  
  
“Don’t you think you’re overeacting?” Konstantine butted in, trying to shield the boy. “No one was hurt. Why bother the headmaster with this?”  
  
“Because he did something wrong and it almost cost another student his life,” Jarrus said callously.   
  
“Get out of the way, Konstantine.” The tall wizard squared off against him, Syndulla at his side.  
  
“Very well.” He let them pass.   
  
“This session is over,” he told the room. “We’ll see you again in two weeks.”  
  
A unanimous “Aaaaaw” went up from the crowd of eager students and a few fists formed in anger.  
  
“It’s always the Slytherins,” Ezra muttered under his breath.  
  
“Hey, Thrawn saved him,” Eli found himself defending the Chiss.  
  
“He’s not a student, Eli.” Ezra shook his head. “Look at him, he just caught Benchi without lifting a wand.”  
  
“Well, what about Saw Guerrera in seventh year? Remember that time he stopped those guys that were ganging up on first years.”  
  
“Yeah by beating them bloody without using a shred of magic.” Ezra crossed his arms. “Face it, Eli. They’re all rotten. You’re just too Hufflepuffed to see it.”  
  
Eli frowned.   
  
The girl with dazzling blue hair gave Ezra’s shoulder a punch and beckoned him to follow the rest of the Gryffindors that were slowly shuffling out of the room.  
  
“Coming, Sabine,” he called out. “Seeya, Eli.”  
  
It was a good thing he left because Eli was having some very unHufflepuffy thoughts at that moment but he kept his mouth shut.  
  
“Relax,” he heard Thrawn’s voice behind him.  
  
Eli rolled his eyes angrily.  
  
“I am relaxed,” he said, feeling not a syllable of the word.  
  
“He will see justice,” Thrawn said, walking up beside him.  
  
“He could have killed Benchi,” Eli spat angrily. “If you hadn’t…”  
  
“Do not fixate on the possible outcomes, only the result,” he said calmly.  
  
Which only made Eli angrier. He was about to open his mouth to argue when,  
  
“Thrawn, is it?” Professor Konstantine approached the Chiss.   
  
“That was some impressive magic,” he said.  
  
Thrawn regarded him for a moment.   
  
“A simple levitation charm used in the spur of the moment,” he said. “Nothing noteworthy.”  
  
“Still,” Konstantine acknowledged with a cunning smile. “Could I trouble you for a quick duel? I would very much like to see some Chiss magic for myself.”  
  
Eli’s irritation suddenly evaporated and his face grew a cunning smile of his own.  
  
“Go on, sir.” Eli nodded to Thrawn. He still couldn’t get into the habit of addressing him by his name but it didn’t matter. Konstantine was an expert duelist, though a little cocky and he’d no doubt whip some humility into the unfeeling Chiss.  
  
“I don’t think it would be appropriate,” he said. “Given what’s happened.”  
  
“Nonsense. There was no harm done,” Konstantine assured him. “Thanks to you.”  
  
“Surely, the Chiss aren’t such cowards,” he goaded.  
  
Thrawn narrowed his eyes.  
  
“Nor are we aggressors,” he pointed out.  
  
“There’s no aggression if there is consent, right?”  
  
“Come on, sir. It’ll be fun,” Eli suggested slyly.  
  
“See, at least the boy has some spirit. Just a quick round, then?”  
  
Thrawn exhaled a little louder than usual and Eli thought that might have been a sigh but then his eyes lit up with cunning and curiousity.  
  
“Very well,” he said, taking off his long black cloak. “One round.”  
  
“Excellent,” Konstantine grinned and winked to Eli. It was a first for the young Hufflepuff but he shrugged and took the coat from Thrawn without complaint.  
  
“I’ll take the far end.” Konstantine marched away at a brisk pace.  
  
The students that had slowly been trickling out through the bottleneck at the end of the Great Hall caught the movement behind them and turned their attention back to the duelling strip. Konstantine had indeed made his way to the far end where the Teacher’s table usually stood and quickly drew his ebony black wand to point.  
  
“Draw your weapon, sir,” he called out.  
  
Thrawn considered the request for a moment as Eli moved away to give them room. He found it surpringly hard to manouvre through the resurgent crowd and finally settled at a respectable distance, wondering why Thrawn’s coat was so darn heavy. He glanced down into one of the deeper pockets and a reptilian tongue seemed to poke its way up through the darkness.  
  
Eli gulped and made a mental note, never to offer to carry Thrawn’s things ever again.  
  
The Chiss decided to arm himself, either out of respect for Konstantine or genuine concern. He unbuttoned the sleeves of his shirt and carefully rolled them up out of his way. Then he drew an ornate silver ring from the pocket of his vest and slipped it onto his middle finger.  
  
Konstantine raised an eyebrow but said nothing, still confidently smirking on the other side of the hall. He enjoyed having an audience to watch him duel and mock.  
  
“It’s customary in Britain to bow before a duel,” he called over to Thrawn who nodded.  
  
They bowed to one another and Konstantine assumed the ready position, wand up, knees bent and a hand on his hip. But his opponent did not. Instead, he raised his hands into a fighting stance and lowered his center of gravity.  
  
“Is he seriously going to try Kung Fu on Konstantine?” Perry scoffed beside Eli, betraying his Muggle upbringing.  
  
Eli shrugged and smiled.  
  
“I dunno,” he said as the students around him started giggling.  
  
Eli felt the cloak shifting in his grip and fought to keep it from escaping his grasp. And when it finally settled, the duel began.  
  
Konstantine threw a incredibly powerful Knockback Jinx which crackled out of the end of his wand in a flash of blue light. It hissed passed the observers towards Thrawn but instead of casting a Shield Charm or some other protective spell, he simply stepped aside.

The spell hit the wall of the Great Hall and knocked loose a few notices and skewed a few portraits. The stone held fast, magically enchanted to resist such spells and the duel continued.  
  
Undaunted, Konstantine sent curses and charms spewing from his wand, effortlessly keeping the Chiss on the defensive but without actually making contact.  
  
Eli watched Thrawn manouvre around Konstantine’s attacks, his eyes bright red, glowing, concentrating. This wasn’t going the way he thought it would. But then again, did he really expect the Chiss to be helpless in a fight?  
  
Konstantine began to grow irritated. His attacks were being routed and deflected and side-stepped by simple but expertly timed moves involving almost no magic at all. Finally, he decided to pour all of his efforts into one large widespread spell that the agile Chiss simply couldn’t avoid and with a sly grin, Konstantine unleashed a massive Stupefying Charm that threatened to hit some of the students as well.  
  
Thrawn pushed them out of the way and resumed his initial stance, waiting for the massive spell to come to him.  
  
There was a moment where Eli was worried. 

Truly worried. 

Stupefy was meant to knock someone out but a spell that size could leave the Chiss in a coma for weeks. And it was all his fault. He’d insisted Thrawn participate in this stupid pointless duel and now he was incredibly worried…  
  
… about his friend.  
  
The massive blue wave of light reached Thrawn’s outstretched hand and pushed hard against the invisible barrier he was generating. But it was too strong. The force pushed him back and his feet slid a few centimetres before he redoubled his efforts.  
  
Eli watched his hand shaking, the bicep taught and strained as he tried to block Konstantine’s spell but then he realised that wasn't Thrawn's intention. With each passing second, the brilliant wave of blue light grew smaller. Unnoticable at first but now, it had to be at least a third of its initial size.  
  
Eli spotted the silver ring on Thrawn’s hand. The crystal in its clasp glowed brightly and the young Hufflepuff had more than a sneaking suspicion as to why. With a sudden snap, the force driving its way into Thrawn’s hand disappeared, its energies absorbed into the ring and he resumed his ready stance with the same confidence and precision.  
  
Konstantine sent a hail of curses his way, angry at having his impressive spell broken but Thrawn dodged and deflected with the same impressive agility as before, and then he found an opening.   
  
Konstantine had not noticed the pool of water magically growing at his feet while he duelled but as he took a step forward, there was no correcting his mistake.  
  
The Chiss moved, swiping at the air in a short but sure motion and suddenly Konstantine’s feet were pulled right from under him. He landed face first on the floor and knocked himself out to the bewildered amazement of the students watching.   
  
Thrawn observed for a moment, maintaining his battle stance but soon he was sure the professor wasn’t getting up. He rose to full height and began walking toward him without haste.  
  
Eli rushed over to Thrawn’s side, taking the massive black cloak and its lizard tenant with him.  
  
“Is he alright?” he called out.  
  
“Yes,” Thrawn said, kneeling down to check on the poor man.   
  
“A broken nose,” he said. “And a concussion.”  
  
“We should take him to the Infirmary,” Eli said hastily.  
  
“Yes, you’re right,” Thrawn nodded. He thread a hand under the unconscious man’s legs and lifted him up without much trouble.  
  
“Follow me,” Eli said, bustling toward the entrance of the Great Hall.  
  
The students let them pass, watching as the Chiss carried their dear old Professor Konstantine away. Eli didn’t particularly enjoy unwanted attention but this victory felt better than expected. And it wasn’t even his.  
  
Some the Slytherins and antsy Ravenclaws had stayed to watch Konstantine wipe the floor with Thrawn but were obviously disappointed. He doubted any of them were going to bother the Chiss from now on, or ever.  
  
Eli’s friends weren’t doing too much better on the other side of the duelling strip which was now slick with blood. They murmured worriedly and then the silence was broken by Perry who simply outdid himself.  
  
“Man, I wish I’d learn Kung Fu instead of magic…” 


	5. The Room of Hidden Things

Eli turned sharp left as he entered the seventh floor and walked down the hallway the same number of steps he always did. In no time, he found himself standing between a solid brick wall and the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy trying to teach trolls ballet.  
  
The tapestry quickly captured Thrawn’s attention as all the paintings and statues and various art pieces strewn about the castle did. Eli imagined the Chiss could spend an eternity at Hogwarts simply observing the endless art and history that permeated its bones. But his glittering red eyes suddenly flickered toward the wall opposite and Eli was surprised when he actually reached out and tried to touch it.  
  
“A distortion,” he said, his brow furrowing.  
  
Eli had been wondering about Thrawn’s eyesight since the day they left Palpatine’s office. He could definitely see better in the dark but there was also that unnerving way he could tell when something was magical just by looking at it. What was he seeing exactly?

“The space here is fragmented,” he said. “This is the room you spoke of?”  
  
“Yup,” Eli nodded. “The Room of Requirement - it adapts to the user’s deepest and most dire needs.”  
  
“Is it sentient?” Thrawn asked curiously.  
  
“Ummm… maybe?” Eli had never considered the room as a person but it definitely had a mind of its own and a finicky one at that.  
  
“You have to be really really specific with it, like instructions down to the letter or it won’t even bother.”  
  
“Then it is similar to a computer,” Thrawn folded his arms. “Awaiting input from the user and adapting to the set parameters.”  
  
Eli hadn’t really thought of it that way. Or of computers at all, in quite a long time but it made sense.   
  
“I guess…” he shrugged.  
  
“You said you come here to clean.”  
  
“Well, not exactly.” Eli sighed. He was getting tired of constantly explaining things.   
  
“Lots of people have used this room before. And the most common use for it-”  
  
“Is to hide something.” Thrawn narrowed his eyes. “How many?”  
  
“I don’t know how many people,” Eli told him. “But I’ve been inventorizing the items and so far the count stands at two thousand two hundred and three.”  
  
“Impressive,” Thrawn noted.  
  
“I’m not done yet,” Eli said. “Nowhere near.” He rolled his eyes.  
  
“You’ll see…”  
  
He stepped forward and cleared his mind.  
  
 _I need to find what’s been hidden.  
_  
He began to pace back and forth before the wall.  
  
 _I need to clean up the mess they made.  
_  
Thrawn took a step back and watched.  
  
 _I need to bring order to the chaos. Show me the room where it’s waiting.  
_  
The third time he walked past triggered the magic inside the Room of Requirement and a door softly appeared where moments ago there had only been brick.  
  
Thrawn didn’t wait to reach out and touch the weathered wood with a curious hand, feeling the solid oak beneath his fingers.  
  
“Open it,” Eli said casually and he did so.  
  
The door creaked on its ancient hinges and swung open unsteadily revealing a tiled black floor and a humongous pile of stuff.  
  
Things, objects, items, units, doodads, pieces, puzzles, pictures, paintings, statues, books of all kinds, jewelry, furniture, clothing, silverware, broomsticks, cauldrons, tapestries and toilets, a rather large coatrack, broken chandeliers, stuffed animals, quiddich equipment and the rest was obscured by further piles of stuff.   
  
They rose into the air like mountains and beside the door, in a neatly fashioned nook on the left were the two thousand two hundred and three things that Eli had successfully isolated, identified, inventorized and organized into what he called the 'out pile’.   
  
“You did this?” Thrawn walked over to the orderly collection of obscure artifacts.  
  
“Yep,” Eli said proudly. “It may look very IKEA at the moment but it’s all very organized, I assure you.”  
  
Thrawn turned to look at him with an eyebrow raised.  
  
Eli sighed.  
  
“IKEA is a muggle store for furniture where they put everything on display even if it doesn’t make sense for it to be there.”  
  
“Much like this Room.” Thrawn’s eyes flickered.  
  
“Nowhere near as messy,” Eli chuckled as he walked over to the lectern he’d placed in front of the out pile.   
  
“I’ve written it all down in this ledger.” He pointed to the large open book. The pages were ruled into tables and the last entry read,  _'Antique pocketwatch; 1; half a pound; pewter with silverite finish; likely 18th century; charmed to show phases of the moon as well as time; broken_ ’.  
  
Thrawn looked over the entry and then at the well organized area where the items were kept.  
  
“How do you retrieve them?” he asked.  
  
Eli grinned to himself.  
  
“That’s the fun part,” he said, bookmarking the page and flipping back to the very beginning of the ledger.  
  
The cover was old and brown, no doubt rescued from the junk pile as many of the other items had been. The front page was blank.  
  
Eli grabbed the quill that was sticking out of the lectern and dabbed it into a bottle of ink. He rubbed the excess off and put pen to paper, scribbling the word  _'book’_  on the page.   
  
Thrawn watched with interest as the ink faded away and new words began to form.  
  
 _'Found: 1,283 instance(s) of the word 'book’; 617 item(s) in the category 'Book(s).’_  
  
Eli dipped his quill into the ink again and wrote the words 'list category books’.  
  
But nothing happened.  
  
Undaunted, Eli turned the page to find it ruled and filled with entries about only books.  
  
“Impressive,” Thrawn nodded. “You made this yourself?”  
  
Eli grinned.  
  
“Professor Yularen helped me with this part,” he said, tapping a ledger entry with his wand.  
  
The tick glowed white for a moment and Eli looked up at the veritable cornicopia of things before him. Somewhere in the depths, a bubble had formed around a certain book which came leisurely floating towards the second lectern on his left. It hovered gently, waiting for him to take it and Eli quickly grabbed it out of the air.  
  
“Tada!” Eli held it out for Thrawn to look at.  
  
He raised a suspicious eyebrow.  
  
Eli sighed.  
  
“It’s an expression of reveal,” he clarified. “When you do something impressive and want people to applaud.”  
  
“You want me to applaud?” Thrawn asked.   
  
“No, I was being sarcastic,” Eli muttered, his enthusiasm waning.  
  
“I see.”   
  
Thrawn took the book from Eli’s hands and opened it, skimming the pages before closing it and putting it down on the empty lectern. His eyes scanned the items before him, darting from one to another and then they came to the pocketwatch which lay closed on the small desk beside the lectern.  
  
Thrawn lowered his brow and examined it carefully.  
  
“May I see that?” he asked.  
  
“Uh, sure,” Eli walked over and picked up the pocket watch. It was the last item he’d been studying and it was left quite close the ledger as a consequence.  
  
“Here.” He passed it to Thrawn.   
  
The watch looked much smaller in his hands, old and worn but still exquisitly crafted and embellished with a complicated pattern that ultimately took the shape of a serpent. Thrawn opened the case and there was a tiny puff of smoke that emitted a silver mist, covering his fingers in dust.  
  
“Oh, don’t worry,” Eli said. “They used to coat things in silverite to make the charm last longer. Before we had self-perpetuating magical items that drew on the user’s power instead of the creator.”  
  
“Interesting,” Thrawn examined the microscopic dust a little closer. “It feels warm.”  
  
“It’s just reacting to the magic in your hands,” Eli said. “Does the same when I stick my wand in it.”  
  
Thrawn brushed the powder off his fingers and closed the pocket watch.  
  
“May I borrow this?” he asked.  
  
“Uh, sure. I guess…” Eli shrugged. “Can I ask why?”  
  
“I would like to repair it,” he said.  
  
“You think you can fix it?”  
  
“Perhaps.”  
  
Eli was beginning to hate that word. It built up a wall ten feet high every time Thrawn decided to shut off a part of the conversation. But some things he was only too eager to discuss, most of them mundane and commonplace or about Eli who didn’t like talking about himself. Or other people. It simply wasn’t his place.  
  
“Oh!” he suddenly realized. “I have to add another column.”  
  
He turned to the ledger and began scribbling something on the page, then he drew his wand and waved it over the edge. He screwed up his face in concentration and stuck out his tongue, trying to get the spell right and then it worked.  
  
The table of inventory now had a new column, “On loan”, and Eli put a great big tick next to the entry for the pocket watch.  
  
“There,” he said.   
  
But when he turned around, the Chiss he was expecting to find, was not.  
  
Eli’s eyes searched far and wide through the Room of Hidden Things but within the impressive collection of eyecatching objects, the tall blue man was nowhere to be seen.  
  
He sighed. Another annoying little trick he was getting used to.  
  
A quick look at the ledger and Eli returned to his work, cautiously picking through the nearest pile of things to add to the growing list.  
  
An hour later, he was halfway through repairing a gaudy lampshade with a simple restoration spell when Thrawn emerged from the maze of garbage mountains, carrying an odd looking little statuette in his hand.  
  
Eli finished fixing the last tressel on the lampshade.  
  
“You’re back,” he said as Thrawn approached. “Where’d you go?”  
  
“I wanted to see how big the room was,” he told Eli. “And I found something interesting.”  
  
His long blue fingers unravelled, revealing the intricate weave of golden branches over a small crystalline pyramid but what worried Eli most was the bright red glow coming from inside.  
  
“What is it?” he asked.  
  
“I am not certain.”  
  
“What?! You can’t just go picking up random things in here. It could be dangerous.”  
  
“I am aware,” Thrawn said gravely, staring at the object. “Do you recognise the carvings?”  
  
Eli took a closer look at the engraving on the bottom. Strange characters, squiggly and spiky were arranged neatly in a row.  
  
“Well, they’re not runes. Are you sure this is script?” he asked curiously, picking up the pyramid to examine the under side. “It could just be decoration.”  
  
“I’m certain.”  
  
Now it was Eli’s turn to raise an eyebrow.  
  
“You can’t know for sure.”  
  
“The characters repeat but not in a decorative pattern. They appear in clusters you would see as words if you could read them. The engraving is made for emphasis on an otherwise completely different style of art work. I suspect it is the name of the creator or a description of the power inside.”  
  
Eli looked at the tiny pyramid again.  
  
“So what? There’s probably a million useless things just like this in here.”  
  
“Not like this one.”  
  
“What makes it so special?”  
  
“It was the most well hidden.”  
  
“Are you kidding?” Eli looked up incredulously and saw the huge gash across his face.  
  
“Merlin’s beard! What happened?”  
  
“I had to spring a trap in order to deactivate the protection spell surrounding the dais.”  
  
“What dais? Sir, we need to get you to the Hospital Wing.”  
  
“No, it looks worse than it is. Am I using the phrase correctly?”  
  
“This isn’t the time for wordplay, you’re hurt.”  
  
“Come. I want you to see this.” He stalked away towards the maze of derelict objects and Eli had no choice but to abandon his lampshade and follow him.  
  
“The pattern is very clear.”  
  
“Pattern?” Eli warbled.   
  
“In this?” He raised his arms. There could be nothing more random to his mind than the many stacks of miscellaneous objects in the Room of Requirement.  
  
“You haven’t noticed?”  
  
“Well, to be honest, I’ve been stuck by that big pile at the entrance.”  
  
“Yes. It would be difficult to see the pattern without first seeing the rest of the design.”  
  
“What design?”  
  
“The room has been shaped by the needs of not one user but many. The very first was likely a builder who wished to hide the statue he damaged during construction. It is the very first thing you see when you walk in. Meaning, he knew he was going to seal the room with mortar so no one else could find it.”  
  
“But the room wasn't sealed.”  
  
“It was. And then fragmented with magic. The entrance is a portal which reacts to the psyche of the user, forming a space in time which befits the specified requirements.”  
  
“Yeah, I figured it was something like that." Eli rolled his eyes.  
  
“But before it terraforms the space, it checks for previously made solutions to similar problems and if it can find one, the solution is reused and modified which is how this specific room came to be.”  
  
“Makes sense. But you said there’s a pattern.”  
  
“Yes. The mounds are not random. They are placed in order of required urgency and secrecy. One who seeks to find a place to discard a broken pocket watch will not look much further past the first mound. One who is ashamed of what they hide will delve deeper. And another still, might find themselves lost before ever securing the perfect location. In which case, the room will guide them back to the entrance.”  
  
“Uhuh…” Eli tried to follow. “So lots of people have been through here. That’s why it’s so big.”  
  
“On the contrary, the Room itself is quite small.”  
  
“Umm… I think you hit your head a little too hard. I can see it going on for ages.” Eli put his hand up to visor his eyes.  
  
“An illusion,” Thrawn said. “Observe.”  
  
He clicked his fingers and pointed two of them towards Eli, raising him abruptly off the floor.  
  
The boy gasped but quickly saw what the Chiss was trying to show him. As he rose into the air, the corners of the room seemingly shifted and flickered, trying to decide the vanishing point for his line of sight. Eli slowly returned to the ground and the corners returned to their original positions but an unsettling feeling had found a home in the pit of his stomach.  
  
“It only looks that big?” he asked.  
  
“Yes. In reality, there are only ten different mounds, filled with simulations of objects that don’t exist outside the room. The illusion, it…” He glanced over his shoulder. “Vvodit v zoblujdeniye.”  
  
“It’s misleading,” Eli said, glaring at the end of the room accusingly, trying to see what other tricks it had up its sleeve.  
  
“Wait, are we just walking around in circles?”  
  
Thrawn stopped abruptly and the illusion quivered all around them.  
  
“What are you doing?”  
  
“Modifying the parameters.”  
  
“While we’re in the room?!” Eli muttered nervously.  
  
The floor rumbled and expanded beneath them, revealing a walkway that led straight past several mounds and seemingly split reality in half like wallpaper.  
  
“What did you tell it to do?” Eli asked, squinting into the distance.  
  
“To reveal what is truly hidden.”  
  
“So the rest of this isn’t hidden enough?”  
  
“A distraction,” Thrawn said, marching down the walkway towards the breach.  
  
Eli followed, his curiosity piqued. He’d been rummaging through the Room of Hidden Things for several years and he hadn’t the slightest inclination that it could be hiding more than he could see. Unsurprising in a place like Hogwarts but also a little alarming. What could be so important that it was hidden amongst what was hidden in a room inaccessible but by those who knew of its existence.  
  
His eyes suddenly darted to the statuette in Thrawn’s hand and its eerie red glow.  
  
What could it be?  
  
They reached the tear and Thrawn stepped over the threshold, into the darkness. He raised his free hand up and a ball of blue light grew steadily more iridescent in his palm. It illuminated the ominous stone floor as Eli climbed through the tear. The light expanded to show them the rest of the hidden chamber.  
  
Carved of stone and gilt with bronze, giant amethysts were ensconced in the walls and held up by statues of hooded figures, glittering menacingly in the faint light. In the centre was a tall dais, missing a certain pyramid shaped object that slotted into an indent. The dais was encircled by lengthy arcs of characters similar to the ones Thrawn had shown him. They were painted with an eerie red liquid that Eli had a bad feeling was old blood.  
  
“What do you think?” Thrawn asked him.  
  
“I think we should leave,” Eli said suddenly.  
  
“There is no danger. I dismantled the traps.”  
  
Eli shook his head.  
  
“There’s something off about all this.”  
  
“Off?”  
  
Eli had forgotten who he was talking to.  
  
“When something doesn’t feel quite right.”  
  
“Yes, I have the same impression,” Thrawn told him. “Do you recognise any of the symbols, the architecture?”  
  
Eli took another look around but all he could feel was incredibly unsettled.  
  
“No,” he said. “What is this place?”  
  
Thrawn looked at him for a moment and then turned his attention to the room. He walked over to a wall and brushed his fingers over the mortar.  
  
“This is the area you call the Room of Requirement,” he said. “Its true physical form.”  
  
“You mean, the bit behind the brick wall.”  
  
“Yes, we passed through it here.” He pointed out where the door should have been.  
  
“But this is…” Eli looked around fearfully as a cold shiver ran down his spine. “What is this?  
  
"A ritual chamber,” Thrawn said, walking over to examine some of the statues. “Amethysts are conductors of magic, often used by ancient peoples to power their spells. The way they are arranged suggests there need to be three willing participants for the ritual to take place.”  
  
“What does it do?”  
  
“I am not certain,” Thrawn frowned.   
  
“But if I could remove this from the dais without performing the ritual…” he lifted up the statuette.  
  
“What?”  
  
“The shape is odd, four points converging into one, and the glow.”  
  
“Sir, I don’t like this.”  
  
“The markings on the floor, made in blood…”  
  
“Sir, I’d like to leave.”  
  
Thrawn turned to look at Eli who was fidgeting nervously.  
  
“Of course. I apologise for making you uncomfortable.”   
  
He walked back towards the tear and Eli gratefully clambered into the Room of Requirement, happy to be rid of that awful place. He breathed a little easier, knowing he was back in the safety of his mountains of junk. His mounds of garbage, and his hills of detritus. Thrawn crossed the threshold too.  
  
But unlike Eli, his gaze was drawn to the darkness of the ritual chamber. Something in there was calling to him but he broke its hold and strode away briskly, aware of the look Eli was giving him.  
  
“Hold on,” he said. “If that was the  _real_ Room of Requirement, then this is…”  
  
“An illusion, as I said.”  
  
“We should tell Professor Palpatine.”  
  
“No,” Thrawn said rather forcefully, stopping to look at Eli. “You cannot tell the Headmaster.”  
  
“Why? He’s got me inventorying things that don’t even exist,” Eli argued.  
  
“Please,” Thrawn insisted. “He must not know I have this.”  
  
He showed him the statuette again.  
  
“Oh yeah, how are you gonna hide it from him? That thing glows with magical energy. Who knows what’ll happen if you remove it from the Room.”  
  
“It will be safe,” Thrawn assured him. “The illusion is created by the room, not this.”  
  
“That’s reassuring,” Eli said sarcastically.  
  
“And the Ysalimir will mask the energy signature.”  
  
“The what?”  
  
Thrawn’s hand disappeared into the fold of his robe and deposited the statuette into the pocket with the slumbering salamander.  
  
“What is that thing?” Eli asked peering down at it.  
  
“Ysalimiri are reptiles native to the Americas. They reject magical energies making them difficult to spot for a mage.”  
  
“How did you find one?”  
  
“I may have accidentally knocked it out of a tree,” Thrawn admitted.   
  
“Accidentally?”  
  
“It was not my intention to cause it harm but such was the result.”  
  
“Why is it in your pocket?”  
  
“I haven’t been able to remove it,” Thrawn said with a hint of animosity. “It finds a way back to me every time I leave it somewhere.”  
  
“That’s called having a pet, sir.”  
  
“Domesticating an animal is voluntary,” Thrawn explained. “This is most certainly not, I assure you.”  
  
“Uhuh…” Eli looked down at the lizard hugging its new toy. The eerie red glow had dulled somewhat and the statuette itself began to resemble a paperweight as the creature tucked it away into it little pouch.  
  
“Well, we should get you to the Hospital Wing, sir,” Eli said.  
  
He turned around and caught sight of the order he’d been making of the mess. His carefully constructed system of inventory.  
  
“Apparently, I’ve been wasting my time…” 


	6. Lunch

Eli made quick work of the homework Professor Yularen had assigned them with the help of a certain magical blue person and they decided to head to the Great Hall early for lunch. It took a little longer than usual for Eli to pull Thrawn away from the painting of Merlin which hung in the First Floor corridor quoting obscure phrases in an outdated tongue.   
  
The Chiss didn’t really feel the need to eat so often but Eli was starving and lunch was a sacred ritual he refused to skip.  
  
They entered the sparsely populated Great Hall unnoticed. Only a few sixth and seventh year students were fervently using their free period to study so Eli and Thrawn sat down across from each other at one of the long tables. It wouldn’t matter which until more students arrived so they favoured the Hufflepuff side today.  
  
Eli’s tongue let slip the words ‘lunch’ and 'food’ perhaps six times in the space of a minute and suddenly dishes began appearing on the table, undoubtedly the work of an incredibly irritated house elf down in the kitchens.  
  
“Finally,” he grinned, scooping shepherd’s pie onto his plate.  
  
Thrawn had much less interest in the food and brought out a copy of the Daily Prophet to read while he quietly sipped his tea.  
  
“Anything new?” Eli mumbled through a mouthful of pie.

  
“Another shipment of silverite’s gone missing from a storehouse in Cardiff and there’s been an accident in one of the factories north of here,” he said, contemplating.   
  
 _'Despite the tragic deaths of the factory workers, the Ministry of Magic assures the wizarding community that there is nothing to fear as this is an isolated incident,’_ he read off the paper.  
  
Eli swallowed his mouthful.  
  
“You don’t believe them.”  
  
“Journalists are not…” He looked up at Eli. “Bez uklona.”  
  
“Ummm,” Eli thought about the context, “without bias?”  
  
“Journalists are not without bias,” Thrawn tested the words.  
  
“The Ministry of Magic said it’s okay.”  
  
“Politicians are entirely with bias.”  
  
“Entirely biased,” Eli corrected. “But the Ministry have Aurors and all kinds of people looking into it. I’m sure they can handle it if something really is going on.”  
  
“You put much faith in your law enforcement,” Thrawn noted as Eli moved closer to the platter of chicken drumsticks.  
  
“Aurors are amazing,” he said with a smile and a bite. “They’re super powerful wizards and witches that fight criminals who use Dark magic.”   
  
“I saw Depa Billaba at the Leaky Cauldron in London one time,” he reminisced. “Did you know Professor Jarrus used to be her apprentice when he worked at the Ministry?”  
  
Eli continued to eat and talk fervently.  
  
“He said she managed to single handedly transfigure all the bricks of an old bell tower into doves before they fell on some muggles in Suffolk. Caught the wizard responsible and everything.”  
  
“A mage was responsible?”  
  
“Yeah, Azmorigan, I think he was called. He was running a love potion scam out of the church’s basement. Decided to drop the tower on the muggles as a distraction so he could get away.”  
  
“I see,” Thrawn said, picking up his cup but before he could take a sip, he put it back down again.  
  
“What is it?” Eli asked, rubbing his greasy fingers on a napkin.  
  
Thrawn folded the newspaper and spun it around for him to see.  
  
“Break in at Chiswick jeweller’s early this morning leaves residents unsettled,” Eli read off the page. He skimmed the article for more details but found little of interest.  
  
“So, someone stole some jewelry?” he raised an eyebrow.  
  
“The store specialises in 18th century antiques.”  
  
“Yes, I read the article,” Eli grew irritable.  
  
“The pocket watch you gave me.”  
  
“What does that have to do with-” Eli paused. “Oh.”  
  
“That’s two cases of theft involving silverite within two days,” Thrawn mused.  
  
“What do you care?” Eli shrugged. “Aren’t you supposed to be studying the school?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“Well then, how about you stick to that and let the Ministry worry about silverite theft?” Eli suggested.  
  
“You’re not interested in what they’re doing with it?”  
  
“Who? The thieves?” Eli smirked. “Probably sold it off.”  
  
“Why go after silverite when gold would yield a far greater profit?”  
  
“I don’t know,” Eli said, turning his attention to the dessert portion of the table. “I don’t think criminals are all that smart, to be honest.”  
  
“These criminals are.” Thrawn narrowed his eyes. “Or the ones organizing them…”  
  
“Let it go, sir.” Eli rolled his eyes. “We’re not going to catch them all the way from Hogwarts.”  
  
“You don’t think I could?”  
  
“I mean, sure.  _You_  could apparate to Chiswick and investigate if you wanted to but I have Arithmancy after lunch.”  
  
“You excel in Arithmancy.”  
  
“Well, thank you. But-”  
  
“We’re going.”  
  
“What?”  
  
“Right now. Let’s go.” Thrawn got up.  
  
“To Chiswick?”  
  
“Yes.” He pulled on his cloak.  
  
“But-”  
  
“You’ve finished your lunch.”  
  
“That’s not the point,” Eli complained. “I can’t just walk off school grounds without a permit.”  
  
“I permit you to join me.”  
  
“That’s not how it works.”  
  
“I’m sure Professor Palpatine won’t mind.”  
  
“Are you going to ask him before we leave?”  
  
“There’s no time.” Thrawn stepped over the bench and walked off briskly towards the exit.  
  
Eli opened his mouth to say something, anything that would convince Thrawn to return but he doubted such words existed in English or even in Russian.  
  
He looked down at his empty plate and sighed.  
  
“At least he let me have lunch…” 


	7. Chiswick

Eli felt a strange tingle in his fingers as they passed through the magical barrier at the edge of the castle grounds. It shielded Hogwarts from the view of Muggles and prevented magical folk from apparating inside. Eli had read about the enchantment in 'Hogwarts: A History' when Thrawn borrowed it from the library. The powerful spell also prevented muggle technology from working inside and when they crossed the threshold of the barrier, Thrawn's mobile phone went off.

Several different notification sounds and warbles emanated from his pockets and the Ysalamir which had been dosing placidly was very rudely awakened. It poked its simultaneously furry and scaly head out of the folds of Thrawn's cloak and glared at Eli accusingly with its bright yellow eyes. But the Chiss didn't seem to notice as he pulled out his phone and began scrolling through the endless messages which had accumulated during the last few weeks.

Eli said nothing. He'd left his phone at home, having no use for it at Hogwarts. The young man waited patiently for Thrawn to finish, watching the salamander he kept in his pocket climb up his arm.

"Excuse me, I need to make a phone call," Thrawn nodded to Eli and stepped aside.

Eli continued to watch the Ysalamir slowly climbing up his back with wicked claws digging into the black cloak but the Chiss seemed unphased by the lizard latched onto his shoulders.

"Lyngsidion Ar'alani?" he said into the receiver. "Ma'resh, Crahsystor Mitth'raw'nuruodo inda'chah nuvaire. Cheisa pai'rei?

Eli listened intently, trying to make out what Thrawn was saying but the language was completely foreign. Melodious and flowing perhaps but there was no way for him to distinguish where one word ended and another began. So he waited.

The call didn't last long and Thrawn ended it quite abruptly with "Viscim'sah," and hung up.

He turned back towards Eli and pocketed the phone.

"Apologies."

"What language was that?" Eli asked curiously. "It didn't sound like Russian or Japanese."

"It was Cheunh."

"The Chiss language is called Cheunh?"

"Yes. Now, we were about to leave for Chiswick."

"Ummm, should you really be walking around like that in broad daylight?" Eli ventured.

Thrawn blinked his glowing red eyes, his skin bright blue in the sunlight. The Ysalamir on his shoulders hissed at Eli and stuck out its tongue.

"You're right," he said, removing the creature carefully. 

He walked over to a nearby tree and coaxed the salamander onto a branch. It gripped tightly with its sharp claws, curling up to camouflage itself from predators.

"It's a warm day," Thrawn said. "Take off your cloak."

Eli frowned. The sun was shining but it most certainly was not a warm day. Though it didn't stop him from doing as he was told. Thrawn followed suit and carefully hung their cloaks on the same tree. He swept a hand over it and the dark fabric became incredibly hard to recognise against the wooded area surrounding it.

"You're still blue," Eli pointed out. "The muggles will-"

Thrawn swept a hand over his face, the ring on his finger glinting subtly as he cast a concealment charm. Eli watched his skin turn white, then fair, his eyes grew pupils and brown irises and soon he could not have mistaken him for a Chiss at all.

"You have to teach me how to do that," Eli grinned in wonder.

"Why?" 

Eli shrugged. 

"Why not?"

Thrawn inclined his head. "I suppose." 

He motioned a hand over Eli's clothes and all traces of the Hufflepuff and Hogwarts insignias were erased, leaving a blank grey uniform which could have belonged to anyone.

"Is this acceptable?" Thrawn asked.

Eli nodded. 

"Should be-"

But before Eli could finish, a strong hand grabbed his arm and pulled him into a tightly enclosed space that pressed him in from all sides. It was cold and dark and suffocating. His body reacted violently against the sensation as though he were dying and grabbed at the nearest thing he could reach.

It was the same hand that held him, cold and hard and unyielding as it gripped back, pushing him further through the void. And then all of sudden, Hogwarts was gone. Replaced by a leafy green street on that early spring day, a quiet alley behind a pub where no one could see them Apparate. And with a whisper, they appeared.

Eli felt the pressure recede, air entered his lungs and he gagged, threatening to let loose his precious lunch. But he managed to keep it in, taking deep breaths to still his upset stomach. He leaned against the alley wall and looked up to find Thrawn tapping at his phone.

"Y-you've already been here?" Eli managed, astonishment distracting him from the nausea.

"No."

"Then how... ?"

It was impossible to apparate without knowing precisely the location and dimensions of your destination; the look and feel of a place. Eli's parents had travelled with him along side but only ever to where they'd been before.

"How did you get us here?"

Thrawn turned to look at him passively.

"Google Earth," he said. "Always taking pictures."

Eli groaned as he showed him the map on his phone.

"According to this, we're only two blocks away from the store."

"Uuurgh..."

"Are you going to be sick?"

"Maybe..." Eli felt his stomach swirl.

Thrawn withdrew a small box of cough drops from his pocket and offered it to Eli who frowned suspiciously but took one of the lozenges and put it in his mouth.

"What's this supposed to- urgh!"

It most certainly was not a cough drop, Eli realized as six searing flavours of spearmint shot through his mouth. Painfully bitter but strangely refreshing and suddenly his gag reflex completely vanished.

"What is this?" Eli said, rolling the minty pill through his mouth.

"Validolum."

"This is the weirdest magic valium I've ever tasted."

"It's the menthyl ester of isovaleric acid," Thrawn said, leaving the alley at a brisk pace. "Not magic."

Eli followed.

"Seriously? Why do you have these?"

"The store is this way." He maintained his walking speed. And for the first time Eli saw him move without the long cloak obscuring his form. It was almost like a march, back straight and shoulders up as Eli struggled to keep pace.

They passed a few muggles going about their business but no one stopped to double take the man or the boy in unremarkable clothing until they reached the end of Turnham Green Terrace. There were several shops on the corner but no sign of the jewellers they were searching for.

"Are you sure it's here?" Eli asked.

"Yes, it must be concealed somehow." Thrawn looked around. "The store is called 'The Hag's Horn'."

"You think the entrance has something to do with the name?"

"That would be my deduction."

Eli examined the small boutique and sweet shop that Thrawn had brought them to. There was a long board in between them, covered in posters of numerous bands that were playing gigs in the city. Eli scanned the different names absently. 

Pelton John. Antarctic Monkeys. Lana del Pain. And under the brightly coloured posters, a scrap of parchment was sticking out. 

"Sir," he called to Thrawn who immediately responded and walked over to see what Eli had seen.

They peeled off the topmost layer of bill posters, revealing more of the parchment and an illustration of a Swamp Hag with a very large golden Horn sprouting out of her forehead.

"This has to be it," Eli said proudly. He was getting excited about this whole enterprise now that he'd done something to contribute.

"Yes." Thrawn looked over the illustration with a glittering eye.

Eli caught himself staring. He wasn't used seeing the brown pupils Thrawn had given himself or how rapidly they moved, devouring the picture, scanning it with his mind.

"Pardon me," he said to the Hag. "We're looking for the jeweller known as The Hag's Horn."

"We're closed." The image spoke with a squeaky male voice and Eli was quite surprised despite himself.

"We're from the Ministry of Magic," Thrawn said. "We're here about the break in."

"The Ministry's already been in, some idiot named Guss Tuno from the Magical Objects Retrieval Office. Never seen a worse wizard in my life."

"My name is Mikhail Tarasov and this is my colleague, Horatio Figg. We're Aurors," Thrawn said. "We think there may be a connection between the robbery and a case we are investigating."

Eli buried his eyes accusingly into Thrawn's head but he took no notice. Impersonating an Auror was a criminal offense and for a student?

"Aurors, huh?" the voice said. "Well, alright. I doubt that fish-eyed weirdo is actually going to find my property. Come on in."

The Hag on the parchment tore off the golden horn on her head and thrust it into the billboard, forming an intricate golden handle. Thrawn quickly turned it and the poster-ridden board became a door, swiftly opening to reveal a staircase to the floor above.

There was a second door at the top of the stairs where the glass was decorated by a similar illustration of a Swamp Hag with a golden horn. This one moved, eyeing the newcomers, particularly Thrawn, with a lustful eye.

"Oooh," she crooned. "There's a fine slice of pie comin', Jeeves. I could just eat him up, I could."

But Thrawn didn't hesitate in opening the door, ignoring the Hag's wrathful screeching at his disinterest. Eli followed him into the store and closed the door to block out the Hag's wailing.

"Ah, there you are." A portly old gentleman with a sallow complection bustled towards them. "My name is Eobard Jeeves. Owner of this antique store."

Then he took a look at Eli.

"Say, you look like you should still be at Hogwarts, young man. What is the meaning of this?"

"Forgive my friend," Thrawn stepped between them, lacing his words with a Russian accent. "He happened to be cursed by a Hag last week to appear as a boy. It hasn't worn off yet, I'm afraid."

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry," the old man took Eli's hands. "My condolences to your wife."

"Thank you?" Eli said, trying not to glare at Thrawn.

"What can you tell us about the break in?"

"Happened at twenty past seven this morning." The gentleman named Jeeves beckoned them to follow. "I live upstairs in the small flat and I was having tea when I heard a noise.

They entered the back room of the store and Eli's inner perfectionist wilted at the disorder. There were so many boxes stacked up to the ceiling but nothing was labelled or organised in a way a stranger could find useful. Half the items had been toppled onto the ground and many precious jewels and necklaces lay discarded on the floor. And then suddenly he realised why Thrawn had brought him along.

"I came in and found this," Jeeves said irritably, gesturing with his hands and a flummoxed expression.

"The nerve of these people! Absolute amateurs!"

"What makes you say that?" Eli asked suddenly.

"They didn't take the things of greatest value." Thrawn narrowed his eyes.

"Finally, someone who understands," Jeeves exclaimed. "The blighters came in here, trashed the place and made off with the first thing they could see. No taste in fine craftsmanship, I tell you!" He sniffed derisively.

"Why are you so angry then?" Eli asked quietly. "You could have lost a lot more if they knew what they were doing."

"They knew exactly what they were doing," Thrawn said, examining the crime scene.

"Tell me, of the items that were stolen, how many contained silverite in any quantity?" He turned to Jeeves.

The portly fellow raised a thoughtful hand to one of his many chins.

"Well, almost all of them," he said. "Half my store is covered in silverite. And let me tell you, it is damn near impossible to clean it out. It's like sand. It's course and rough and it gets in everything."

"Have any of your recent customers expressed an interest in silverite?"

"I _have_ had a lot of people coming into the store and asking about it lately..."

"What did they look like?" Eli asked suddenly.

"Oh, all sorts." Jeeves shrugged. "Apparently, there's a bit of demand for the stuff at the moment."

"Demand?" Thrawn raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yes, the underground market for magical jewellery and antiques has been buzzing for weeks," Jeeves jibbered. 

"Not that I would partake, of course, I am fully licensed by the Ministry." He changed his tone. "In fact, perhaps the items didn't contain silverite at all, I may have been imagining it, haha. Old noggin, not working as it should. I must still be in shock. Yes, that's right."

"You're selling silverite to the underground traders," Thrawn said sternly.

"No, no, of course not. Where would you get an idea like that?"

Eli looked up at Thrawn and for the first time he could see him glancing back with a knowing look in his brown eyes. Eli suppressed a smile.

"I'm afraid we're going to have to take you in for questioning, sir," Eli said in the most official tone he could muster.

"No, no, please. I have the permits, honest. And a ledger of all my sales. It's all perfectly legitimate, I assure you. There's no need to get the Ministry involved."

"We are the Ministry," Thrawn said sternly. "I'd like to see this -" he narrowed his eyes "-ledger."

"Uuh, yes. Yes, of course," Jeeves bustled away.

Thrawn leaned over to Eli and whispered, "See what you can find."

"Silverite? 18th Century?"

A nod.

Eli rolled up his sleeves as Thrawn and Jeeves disappeared into the study. He brought out his wand but then promptly lowered it. Students weren't allowed to do magic outside of Hogwarts and Eli wasn't exactly Horatio Figg.

He sighed and began manually sifting through the items, using his wand to check for silverite by seeing if it would grow warm upon contact. But after ten minutes his hands had sufficiently warmed up themselves and he couldn't tell whether it was the silverite or his own body temperature.

Thrawn returned carrying a large book with a bumbling Jeeves behind him.

"Is this the only ledger you have?" he asked expressionlessly.

"Y-yes," Jeeves gave a nervous mumble, chewing at his fingernails while the so-called Auror flipped through the pages.

"These two objects have been paid for but not received, is this correct?" he pointed to the entries.

Jeeves stood up on his toes to get a better look and then nodded worriedly. 

"They paid for the goods but never picked them up."

"Convenient," Thrawn said, closing the ledger. "This was two months ago. Where are the items now?"

"Th-they're, well, they were damaged and needed repairs so I sent them to a specialist."

Thrawn lowered his brow and dark shadows spilled over his face.

"Really?" he said. "You didn't decide to make a profit by selling them to the underground market yourself?"

Jeeves gulped audibly and shot a glance towards Eli to avoid Thrawn's burning stare. His eyes weren't red but the quiet intensity and confidence could not be concealed.

"Alright, fine," Jeeves sighed out. "I may have purchased the items myself and then resold them for a cash profit to some less than reputable gentlemen."

He turned back to the Thrawn.

"But it was one time! They offered ten times the retail price."

"I need their names," Thrawn told him passively.

"Odd fellows. Name of Pilf Mukmuk and Jiro Bantha," Jeeves admitted.

"What did they look like?" Eli asked curiously.

"Hispanic chaps, could tell by the accent. Dark skin, covered in tattoos, I thought they were gang members when they first came in."

"Do you have a way of contacting them?" Thrawn asked.

"Oh, no. They came to me," Jeeves put up a hand. "It was all very hush hush. I was scared out of my mind when they asked to meet under the troll bridge in Hyde Park. Never saw them again."

"You think they could be in Hyde Park?" Eli asked Thrawn who'd folded his arms to think.

"Perhaps," he said. "Are these the items you found?"

He turned to face the row of objects Eli had identified.

"There could be more," Eli said. "These have the most silverite."

Thrawn walked over and kneeled down, studying each item carefully.

Eli let him look, briefly glancing towards Jeeves who was nervously sweating in the corner. The young man gave him a judgemental glare and the other recoiled in fright. It was incredibly amusing to Eli's young mind and he had to turn away to hide the smile on his face.

"What about this?" Thrawn rose, holding a bronze candlestick holder.

"Well, the loopy vines would suggest 18th century art nouveau," Eli nodded, "but there's barely any silverite left on it."

"Only on one side," Thrawn said, brushing a finger down the edge. 

Eli shrugged.

"Was this item part of a set?" he asked Jeeves.

The worried wizard pulled a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the sweat from his brow and a jewellers monocle to examine the object more closely.

"Why yes," he said. "There were two candleholders. They wove together, connecting in the middle."

"And the other one was made of silverite."

"What does that mean?" Eli asked.

"This object has a very distinct aura. If it has a twin, it could lead us directly to the thieves."

"You mean, with a tracking spell?"

"We'll be confiscating this as a potential lead," Thrawn turned to Jeeves. "And I request you maintain silence about this visit if you wish your own actions to remain secret from the Ministry."

"Ah, oh, yes, of course. I'll- I won't say a word."

Eli doubted it as they left the store but Thrawn seemed preoccupied with the candlestick holder. 

"You think you can track them using that?"

"If we get close enough to its twin," Thrawn pondered.

"So where do we start searching? Hyde Park?"

"No."

"No? He said so himself, the meetup happened in Hyde Park."

"The Park was chosen as meeting place for its Apparition barrier."

"Oh, that's right. It's illegal to Apparate in there. Public reserve."

Thrawn pulled out his phone again, tapping at the screen, searching for something.

"What are you looking for?"

"The theives may not have taken the items of greatest value but according to the ledger, they stole a decent amount of stock. They wouldn't have gotten far on foot."

"On foot? Why couldn't they just apparate?"

"Too many things, too heavy for inexperienceed travellers."

"How do you know they're inexperienced?"

Thrawn stopped scrolling and turned to look at him.

"Did you see the mess in there?" he asked Eli.

"Yeah, you're right," he conceded.

"They're amateurs but they've been casing the store for months, sending different people in to ask questions and test security."

"Hold on, how many of them are there?" Eli said, following Thrawn as they began to move again.

"Two conducted the robbery. A few others came in to ask about products containing silverite. Perhaps four or five. And a ringleader, I imagine."

"You got all that from the mess in there?"

"And the ledger. Your talents also proved useful."

Eli smirked.

"They didn't seem very useful."

"I was quite convinced that you were Horatio Figg." Thrawn shrugged.

Eli breathed out a laugh. 

"We could get in major trouble if anyone finds out," he said warily.

"I don't think it will come to that. In any case, we are both wearing a disguise today."

Eli cocked an eyebrow trying to figure out what he meant and then they passed a shop window and he saw his reflection in it. Not Eli Vanto, certainly, but a boy of some description. Or perhaps without any description at all.

The concealent charm, he realised. Thrawn had cast it over his face as well as his clothes and soothed his worries considerably. No-one could pick them out of a line up and they hadn't used magic in any form. Untracable.

The young man suddenly felt a bit cocky with all the mischief they were getting up to and let himself smile.

"Where are we going?" he said with far more confidence.

"Turnham Green."

They soon encountered the very place and found its lawn well manicured and its paths well swept. On the green could be seen an elegant 19th century church and Thrawn quickened his step as they approached.

"The Church?"

"Yes. We are close." Thrawn brought up the candlestick holder.

Eli looked at it curiously.

"Did you cast a tracking spell?"

Thrawn did not reply. Instead, he walked straight up to the tall wall of the church and laid a hand on it.

Eli observed silently as some of the muggles walking past muttered about religious fanatics. It still surprised him how readily they could make up excuses and stories for things that were clearly magic and without explanation. A simple life, he supposed.

Thrawn took his hand off the wall.

"They're here."

"In the church?" Eli looked at it suspiciously. It was silent but for the footsteps of the park patrons and the whip of the wind here and there. 

"Doesn't sound like it."

"Not inside," Thrawn said. "Under it."

Eli shook his head. 

_Of course._

Old churches were often built by magical architects who could do the work in the fraction of the time and for a fraction of the cost. The nineteenth century wizard George Gilbert Scott had saved thousands of witches from persection by smuggling them out through the secret passages he had himself constructed.

"The gothic architecture follows a very rigid pattern," Thrawn noted. "But this wall is bare. And the aura from this item is stronger than before."

"Old churches usually have a magically concealed room between the cellar and the crypt," Eli made sure to impart his wisdom from History of Magic class. "It was used to save witches from being killed. And also by necromancers for graverobbing..."

Thrawn took all of this in and then looked around.

The muggles were still walking past occasionally, walking their dogs or hurrying toward the tube station. A few were having lunch on the park bench. 

Too many witnesses.

He stretched out his arm, with his palm flat, and spread another concealment charm all around them. Hidden in plain sight, Eli decided.

"A little overkill, don't you think?" he said.

"Overkill?"

"Excessive," he clarified. "Beyond what's necessary."

"Oh, no. This is quite necessary," Thrawn said, threading the candlestick holder into his belt. And then he pulled a silver pistol out of a concealed holster.

"Uuuuh, sir?" Eli's eyes widened. "Is that a gun?"

"Yes."

"Why do you have a gun?!" he said much louder than he intended and clasped his hands over his mouth.

"Do not fret. The concealment charm works for sound too." Thrawn cocked the gun. "The weapon is for self-defense."

"Self defense?" Eli blustered.

"There are seven men in the concealed room you described, potentially armed. If you are anxious, wait here."

"I'm not leaving you," Eli said. "Those people could be innocent and you're gonna barge in on them with a gun?"

"Everything we have seen up until now suggests that these people are the thieves and would wish us ill if we confront them. I will protect you as best as I can but I cannot guarantee your safety from this point onward."

"I'm coming with you," Eli said, pulling out his wand.

Thrawn considered him for a moment.

"Very well. But don't use it unless your life is threatened. And if I tell you to go, you run as far back as the alley, understand?"

"Yes, sir."

Eli thought he saw the hint of a smile at the corner of Thrawn's mouth as he turned away. He tapped the ring on his finger and a white light emanated from the crystal. Then he ran at the wall and kicked it hard.

A section of the bricks split off from the sturdy mortar of its neighbours and fell back, crumbling as it hit the stairs and tumbled down into the abyss. Eli flinched and covered his face as dust rose up from the destruction.

He now realized why the concealment bubble was very much necessary, hiding not only the gaping hole in the wall but the sound of it all crashing down. The young wizard turned his head to check whether it was working and sure enough, the muggles picnicking on the green were as aware of them as a bee was aware of taxable income.

Thrawn pointed his gun straight ahead and doubled his grip as he made his way down the staircase.

"There was probably a trigger somewhere," Eli muttered as they entered the darkened passageway.

"A trigger would have alerted the thieves to our presense."

Eli rolled his eyes at the alternative, keeping his wand aloft. The tunnel was dark but lined with torches on both walls. They were lit which meant that someone was indeed taking refuge beneath the church, for good or for nefarious purposes.

Thrawn moved silently ahead of him, pausing every so often to listen for something.

"Can you hear them?" Eli whispered.

"This way." He nodded.

It wasn't far to the concealed room which had been serruptitiously connected to the cellar where more than one barrel of wine stood uncorked. Thrawn dipped into an alcove just outside the room and pulled Eli in behind him.

"So I say to him, _'Gooney, my friend, when have I ever let you down?'"_ a cheerfully drunk man blustered. "And he tells me _'Hondo, get out of my shop!"_

"So rude..."

There was a murmur of agreement from some equally inebriated thieves and the man named Hondo took another swig of wine.

"You know, church wine always tastes better for some reason. Must be something in the holy spirits, eh?"

There was a scattering of laughter and Thrawn popped his head out for a closer look. Eli wanted to stick his fingers in his ears instead of listening to the self obsessed idiot around the corner but the man beside him was hanging on every word.

"This Nightswan guy is a riot. Shame about the name though. I would have chosen something a little more menacing." He hiccuped.

"Then again, have you seen a nightswan? Terrifying creatures! With their orange snappy mouths. Like toucans! But big! And in a pond!"

Thrawn edged further and further away from the alcove where they were hiding until he simply stepped out from behind the wall. Eli peeked out at the room where several men had fallen asleep at a long pew, drinks spilled all over themselves. Most of the room was shining with silver. Objects of all sizes lazily scattered throughout.

"Anyway, we'd better start packing up this stuff." Hondo waved a hand. "The truck will be here at midnight."

"Guys?"

He looked down from the Minister's lectern.

"Hey, who are you?"

"Here to pick up a delivery," Thrawn said politely, hiding the gun behind his back.

Hondo squinted at them, his skin darkened under torchlight.

"You don't look like the guy," Hondo slurred. "If fact, you look like-"

"Nightswan sends his apologies. He couldn't be here in person."

"Oh, he does, eh?" Hondo reached for the wand sticking out of his waistband but Thrawn was faster.

The silver pistol fired a wave of blue energy that knocked Hondo off his feet and slammed him up against the wall.

"You shot him!" Eli exclaimed.

"Stunned," Thrawn said, putting the gun away.

He walked over to the table where the men were unconscious. They hadn't moved. So drunk they'd fallen asleep despite Hondo's ramblings and the silence only cushioned their dreams. 

Thrawn drifted over to the lectern where Hondo had been standing. He looked down at the parchment and scribble and a hand drifted up to his face. He supported it with another, deep in thought.

"What is it?" Eli asked, regaining himself after hearing Hondo's intense snore.

"Multiple thefts. Unreported. Silverite shipments. All going north."

"What does it mean?"

"I don't know yet."

Eli frowned.

"What are gonna do about these guys?"

"We shall call the authorities," Thrawn said, unravelling his arms.

"You want Aurors coming here?"

"You said it yourself, this is a job for the Ministry of Magic."

"But we'll get caught," Eli persisted. "You've been using magic all day."

"You have a point." Thrawn wandered over and kneeled beside Hondo, removing the wand he had half-drawn. "However, your Ministry tracks magic by wand."

Eli's eye quickly shifted to the ring Thrawn was wearing.

"You don't have a wand."

"Nor is it registered with the Ministry. We'll be fine."

"I don't like this, sir. I could get expelled if they find out I was here."

"They will not. Now, how do I attract the attention of the authorities?"

Eli sighed. 

"There's a wave you do in an emergency." He demonstrated with his free hand.

"I see," Thrawn nodded. "Come." He held out a hand.

Eli walked over and hesitated before touching it.

A wave of Hondo's wand and a green plume of smoke erupted from the end. Thrawn tossed it aside but before it could hit the floor, they were gone.


	8. Visitors

It was a fine spring day at Hogwarts and the Entrance Courtyard was brimming with students. Some passing through, others studying in the large open space that was decorated with ancient benches and statues. In the center, a game of paperball quidditch had broken out and some levitating witches hats were being used as hoops.

But Eli was huddled together with some of his Hufflepuff classmates, exchanging notes on an upcoming Herbology exam. He disliked the subject immensely. Especially after being nibbled by a budding Venemous Tentacula in his first year. 

A stray paper ball was suddenly pelted towards Eli's little study circle and smacked him right in the head.

"Hey!" he called out.

Some of the fifth years started laughing and jeering so Eli got up and removed his cloak to reveal the tiny yellow badge pinned to his sweater. 

The culprits quickly quietened and apologised.

"Watch yourselves," Eli warned and sat back down.

"That's real handy," Tua said. 

"I didn't know you were a Prefect," Zare looked at the badge a little closer.

"Haha, well..." Eli muttered. "Technically I'm only Prefect when Thrawn is around."

"What? Why?" Jai put down his scroll.

"I think Palpatine just gave it to me so no one would pick on him."

"Are you kidding? Who would be stupid enough to pick a fight with that guy?"

Eli shrugged. 

"It was before the... you know."

"The thing at the Duelling Club?"

"Yeah."

"I heard Ketsu Onyo dug up some ancient martial arts scroll in the library after that."

"Are you talking about the Mando'ade Club she started?" Tua rolled her eyes. "She just uses it as an excuse to beat up first years."

"Not just first years," Zare said. "She whipped me pretty good without a wand last time."

 _"You're_ in the Mando'ade club?"

"Have you seen all the girls that signed up for it?" Zare defended himself.

"You've got the hots for Wren, don't you?"

"So what if I do. Nothing wrong with a little friendly competition."

"You think you stand a chance against Bridger? Or Ketsu?"

"I just need a bit of practice." Zare's face reddened. "You'll see."

"What about you, Eli?" Tua asked kindly. "Is the Chiss teaching you any cool magic?"

"Uh..." Eli ummed. "Magic? Yeah, I guess..."

"Well, go on," she said. "Show us something."

Eli frowned.

"I can't do it properly," he warned.

"Oh, come on, Eli," Jai nudged. "You're good at spells."

They'd pressed him into a corner and Eli hated disappointing people so he pulled out his wand and held it up to his forehead.

The three Hufflepuffs crowded around him as he scrunched up his face and concentrated. He breathed in deeply and out again like Thrawn had shown him, focusing on the face he wanted to see.

And slowly but surely, the space around him rippled and his features were distorted and muddled and changed for a moment. For a total of two seconds he looked exactly like Zare but then he lost focus and the spell broke.

"Woah!" Jai exclaimed. "You did that without an incantation?"

"Chiss don't use words to cast spells," Eli explained. 

"So how are you supposed to summon magic?"

"Uh, well..." He scratched the back of his head. "There's a lot of meditating involved."

"Wicked," Zare announced. "You don't need a polyjuice potion or nuthin'."

"Well, I can't do it properly yet," Eli repeated. "I need a lot more practice."

"I wish I could make myself look like Professor Palpatine," Jai said. "I'd walk on up to Professor T'ra Saa and ask her to give me a pass on herbology for the rest of term."

"I'd turn into Anakin Skywalker and be the most badass Auror in the world," Zare told them, pulling out his wand dramatically.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi taught Skywalker everything he knows."

"Yeah, but I don't think I could rock the beard." Zare stroked his chin thoughtfully.

Eli and the others laughed. 

Everyone knew the dynamic duo from the Daily Prophet, constantly stopping some dark wizards with their daring do. Together, they were unbeatable.

"I think I'd turn into Padme Amidala," Tua said shyly. "She's so pretty and smart and kind."

"Unlike you..." Jai teased.

"Shut up," she smacked him with a scroll.

"Eli," the cold word drifted over his shoulder.

The group turned to find a familiar figure looming over them and everyone but Eli flinched.

"Sir?" he said calmly. "What's up?"

"Someone is coming."

"Who?"

"A large party of mages have apparated just outside the barrier. I think they might be from the Ministry."

"What?" Eli panicked.

"May I speak to you in private?" he asked calmly, eyeing the other Hufflepuffs.

"Uh, of course," Eli said, rolling up his parchment and stuffing his scrolls into a bag. 

"Sorry guys, talk to you later." He waved at them and stepped over the bench to follow Thrawn into a shadowy cloister at the edge of the courtyard.

"Have you spoken to anyone about what happened?" he asked coolly.

"No," Eli said. "Not a soul. I swear."

"I thought as much." Thrawn turned to look out at the cliffside. 

"You're sure they're from the Ministry?" Eli asked.

"Almost certain."

"I won't say anything if you won't," Eli suggested quickly.

Thrawn turned his head and Eli recognized the tiny smile.

"Thank you," he said. "I don't think they know about our involvement in the Chiswick case. They're here for some... unrelated purpose. But I suggest we don't give them any reason to suspect us."

"They don't know what we look like." Eli shrugged. "They don't know our real names. There's no magic to tie us to the crime scene." He counted off on his fingers. "Unless we walk up to them and confess?"

"I was thinking we should keep our distance for the time being."

"Which you elected to tell me in person?" Eli said smugly.

"Paradoxical, yes." Thrawn nodded. "But a better strategy than communicating by bird."

"Owls are great," Eli protested. "They can deliver any message to any location without ever having been there."

"Birds can be intercepted."

"Why would anyone shoot down an owl?"

Thrawn gave him a stern look.

"Alright, alright," Eli said. "This is me ignoring you from now on." 

He backed away and stepped into the sunny courtyard outside the cloister.

"See you 'round." 

He turned and walked back toward his study buddies.

"Hey, you're back already?" Zare looked up at him.

"Yeah."

"What was that all about?"

"Oh, he just said we can't see each other anymore," Eli sniffed.

"Oh no. You must be devastated." Jai clapped his hands together over his face.

"I don't know how I'll survive," Eli feigned sadness.

"Hogwarts' number one power couple breaking up after a whole month," Jai crooned. "Love is truly dead."

"I'll never know love again," Eli grinned. "It's the blue life or no life."

Jai snorted and started a laugh that spread like wildfire and soon there were tears among the young Hufflepuffs who'd guffawed themselves into a stupor.

"I can't breathe..." Eli wheezed.

A group of first years pushed past them a little too heartily and Eli suddenly regained himself.

"Hey!" he called out.

He got up from his seat, ready to intimidate some firsties with his prefect badge but the courtyard had become too crowded for anyone to move.

Students and teachers alike had flocked to see the party of mages crossing the bridge into Hogwarts. Eli was throttled once again and chose to stand up on the bench he'd been sitting on.

"What's going on?" Tua asked nervously.

"Someone's coming," Eli said, using his hand as a visor.

"Just like the Chiss said," Zare noticed. 

"Yeah, maybe he should teach divination instead of Professor Yoda."

"Insulting, that is," a grumbly old voice crowed.

The tiny man to whom it belonged floated by cross-legged on a raggedy beanbag.

"Sorry, Professor," they all apologised.

Once gone, however, they all giggled and got up on the bench to see what the hubbub was about.

Six mages were walking across the long bridge in no particular order. 

In the lead were Anakin Skywalker and Obi-wan Kenobi, heatedly debating something between themselves. One young and tall, the other, his senior, was shorter but superior in stature as his air and neatly trimmed beard suggested. Both were wearing long robes with the Ministry of Magic's crest sewn into the breast.

They were followed by two young women. One of them Eli recognized immediately. It was the illustrious Minister for Magic herself, Padme Amidala. Her companion was familiar to Eli too. He'd seen her at Skywalker's side in the papers, smiling and waving behind a hog-tied evildoer. Ahsoka Tano had just told a joke and both of them were giggling behind the mens' backs.

Bringing up the rear were two esteemed wizards Eli also recognized. Kit Fisto and Plo Koon were seasoned Aurors who'd worked together more than once and landed a headline as eyecatching as Kenobi and Skywalker. Both were of dark skin and complection. Fisto's head was covered in dreadlocks which spilled out of his head, almost like tentacles and Plo Koon's face was hidden by an ancient mask. 

All of them looked impressive to Eli's young mind and he felt his fellow Hufflepuffs jostling him as they fought to catch a glimpse.

"I can't believe it!" Tua said. "The Minister for Magic! She's here."

"And she's brought her top Aurors along," Zare pointed out. "They look even cooler in person."

The incoming party reached the end of the bridge and stepped into the Entrance Courtyard which had been the picture of schoolyard commonness only moments ago. The assembled crowd began to part for them and Eli felt his eyes drawn back to the cloister where he left Thrawn.

The Chiss was nowhere to be seen, of course, but Eli felt like he was still there. Watching... 

"Welcome, Minister," Palpatine's gnarled voice rang through the courtyard. He'd somehow appeared at the large oak doors without anyone noticing. "I trust your journey was uneventful."

"Professor Palpatine." Minister Amidala smiled. "It's been too long." She embraced the old man in a hug.

"Yes, it has," he said. "I remember you bewitching the birds in this very courtyard to observe the courtesy of silence before dawn."

"I needed to rest for my exams, professor," she said. "It's good to see you again."

"And you. And all your companions. Welcome back to Hogwarts, friends. And to our newcomers, also welcome."

"It's good to be back, sir," Skywalker nodded.

"Indeed, I hope Professor Qui-Gon is doing well," Kenobi said.

"He is," Palpatine nodded. "I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to catch up after you've swept the grounds as we agreed."

"With your permission, sir," Kenobi said. "We'll start our preliminary sweep as soon as you give the word."

"You have it, Mister Kenobi. Please proceed." Palpatine gestured with his hand.

The Auror nodded and turned to his partner in crime. 

"Right now?" he complained.

 _"Now,_ Anakin. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can move on to discussing the logistics of the tournament."

"Tournament?" Several curious whispers spread out through the courtyard.

"Ah, it seems you've let slip the surprise, Mister Kenobi," Palpatine said with a crooked smile. 

"My apologies, Professor."

The other Aurors stepped forward.

"Plo and I will take the lake and the grounds," Fisto said. "Minister. Professor." He nodded to them in turn and moved on with Plo Koon at his side.

"Alright. Anakin, you and Ahsoka take the dungeons, ground floors and courtyards. I'll inspect the towers."

"Why do you get the towers?" Skywalker folded his arms.

Ahsoka stepped up. 

"Yeah, I wanted to see Skyguy's old dorm."

"It looks the same as the dorm you had Ahsoka." Kenobi gave her a stern look. "But with more pieces of clockwork lying on the floor." 

"Aw, come on. A quick peek in the Gryffindor tower wouldn't hurt anybody."

 _"After_ you finish your inspection."

Skywalker sighed.

"Come on, Snips. He's right, let's get this over with."

Ahsoka pouted but followed. 

They bade farewell to Professor Palpatine and the Minister and disappeared into the castle, followed by a stream of starstruck students keen for an autograph.

Eli remained where he was despite the dissipating crowd. He watched as Palpatine and Amidala began discussing some matter regarding scheduling and wondered what it could be about.

Zane and Jai had disappeared and only Tua remained by his side, quietly observing the Minister from afar.

"I hear you already have a foreign guest staying at Hogwarts," she said conversationally.

"It seems word travels quickly." Palpatine's devious eye glinted. "Even all the way from Hogwarts."

"As Minister for Magic, it is my duty to be apprised of activity undertaken by all magical foreigners in the UK," she said diplomatically. "And your guest was never registered or given permission to enter the country."

"Now, now, my dear. You make him sound like some kind of illegal alien."

"So it's a he?"

Palpatine smiled a crooked smile.

"A shrewd politician you are, Minister. Perhaps we can come to some sort of arrangement."

"All I ask is that he meet with a Ministry official and answer a few routine questions."

"I'm sure he would not object," Palpatine replied. "Though you may find his answers a little obtuse."

"Where is he, Professor?" Amidala pressed.

"I am not his keeper." Palpatine knitted his fingers together. "Though he does have an aide."

The wicked yellow eyes picked through the crowd and quickly found Eli who shrank down onto his seat.

"Mister Vanto," he said calmly and Eli felt himself wilt.

"Y-yes, sir?" he replied.

"Where is Mitth'raw'nuruodo?"

Eli gulped.

"I don't know, sir," he said as steadily as he could.

"You haven't seen him all day?"

Eli plucked up all his courage.

"No." 

A lie. A blatant one. And to Sheev Palpatine, no less.

But it didn't seem to ruin the old man's mood.

"Perhaps, you know where I might find him?" Minister Amidala asked kindly.

"Uuh," Eli ummed. "You could try his room in the Slytherin dormitory?"

"Dormitory?" Amidala turned back to Palpatine.

"Our guest asked to be closer to the students in order to assess the viability of our institution for future Chiss applicants."

"More Chiss? At Hogwarts?" she said strictly.

"You have always embraced diversity, my dear. I would think such an arrangement would please you."

"Perhaps with my knowledge," she said severely. "And with my consent."

"I assumed you had given both since witches and wizards cannot enter Britain without alerting the Ministry. Your assessment of migrants is always quite thorough."

"I see," Amidala understood. "This is troubling. I need to speak to him at once."

"You are welcome to do so. Perhaps young Eli can help you find him." Palpatine gave him a knowing look.

"Very well, Professor. Thank you for your cooperation."

Palpatine nodded sagely.

"I will be in my office if you should have need of me," he said. "And you are welcome to stay the night, along with the rest of your Aurors."

"Thank you."

The old man shuffled off in his dark black robes, students giving him a wide berth and a respectful greeting. Padme Amidala watched him leave and then turned to look at Eli and a young girl who seemed as though she might soon faint.

"Eli Vanto," she said, pleasantly. "Is that correct?"

"Yes, Minister," Eli mumbled and gave her an awkward bow and then a nod. He almost put his hand up to his temple for a salute but stopped when Padme smiled.

"There's no need for that," she told him. "May I call you, Eli?"

"Yes, Minister," he said and stood stock still.

"Would you help me find your Chiss friend?"

"Uh," Eli ummed again. "Yes, of course," he convinced himself.

He gathered up his things and put on his cloak.

"Let's start with the dormitory then," he said eagerly, knowing that out of all the places in the castle, Thrawn would not be there.

"I will follow your lead," Padme said.

"Oh, uh, okay," Eli uttered, wincing at his own awkwardness.

They made their way up the steps and into the Entrance Hall where Skywalker and Tano were posing in front of a cabinet with quidditch trophies, mobbed by a crowd of eager students taking pictures.

"They're, uh, really something," Eli said, trying to clear a path through the throng for the Minister.

"He sure is," she said to his back.

"Hey, no pushing!" Eli barked at a third year. "Everyone out of the way, keep the staircases clear."

He managed to guide them through the masses and out into a corridor, circumventing the grand stairs in favour of a more peaceful route.

"As I recall, the dungeons can be reached by the stairs," Amidala mentioned.

"I'm taking a detour," Eli explained. "It'll be faster what with the crowds."

"I see," she said, glancing at the windows and rooms and cabinets as they passed. "Nothing's really changed then, has it?"

"You went to Hogwarts too, Minister?"

"Yes. I was in Gryffindor."

"Oh," Eli uttered.

"Not to suggest that Hufflepuff isn't as respectable a House," she said diplomaticly.

"Just not one of the cool ones." Eli shrugged.

"There have been plenty of accomplished witches and wizards from Hufflepuff. Why, my entire Muggle Artifacts Department is full of Hufflepuff graduates."

"Mmm," Eli mumbled, trying to come up with a way to change the subject but he didn't need to.

"Tell me," the Minister said. "How did you come to know the Chiss?"

Eli exhaled gratefully.

"Professor Palpatine called me in to his office because I knew a bit of Russian and Japanese. He needed a translator."

"But he doesn't now?" Amidala caught on quickly. "And his name is... Matthew Nurodo?"

"We just call him Thrawn."

"I see. And he is assimilating well?"

"Uh," Eli hesitated. "More like observing at a respectable distance."

"Like he is now?"

"I wouldn't put it past him, Minister." Eli shrugged. "I'm not even going to pretend I understand his magic."

"So he's a wizard?"

"Well, he's certainly not a witch," Eli felt himself quipping. This lying thing was easier than he thought. He wasn't even lying, technically. 

Padme smiled at the thought. It wasn't as difficult talking to her as Eli had feared. But she was far more perceptive than most.

"I know very little about Chiss, I'm afraid," she said. "I would not want to assume anything improper."

"Well, I don't know very much, either," Eli told her. "I just know one."

They came to a spiral staircase and began their descent into the bowels of Hogwarts, passing the kitchens which Eli's wandering eye lusted after quietly.

"Do you communicate often?" the Minister interrupted his train of thought.

"We used to," Eli said. "When he had trouble understanding."

"But not anymore?"

"He pops up from time to time," Eli said casually. 

They left the kitchens and the floors behind, wandering further down into the Hogwarts lower levels where the air grew steadily cooler and the light more sparse. Torches were lit on every bracket for lack of windows and the walls were covered unanimously with silver serpents and the colour green.

"This place is as unpleasant as I remember it," Amidala ventured.

"I have to come down here more often than I would like," Eli said.

"For Thrawn?"

"Sometimes," Eli said and pointed at the pin on his chest. "Sometimes I have to sort out the Slytherins' attitude towards Hufflepuffs."

"You're a prefect?" she asked.

Eli thought she was a little bit too surprised by this information but kept it to himself.

"Almost there," he said, turning a corner into the coldest corridor yet.

They came to a stone wall that Eli had to double take to make sure was the right one. His hands touched the stones and felt the gentle vibrations of magic running through them.

"Here we are," he said, pulling out his wand. "Just a second."

He rapped the stone hard with birch three times and waited.

No response.

"They're a little reclusive today," Eli observed and repeated the taps much harder this time.

"NO HUFFLEPUFFS!" a deep voice boomed all around them.

Eli stuck his fingers in his ears.

"How about Gryffindors?" he joked.

"Get out of here, Puff-face!"

"Now is that any way to speak to a Prefect?" Eli shook his head. "What do you think, Minister?"

"I think these Slytherins ought to show some respect, Eli," she said smugly.

"Minister?"

"This is Padme Amidala, the Minister for Magic. Professor Palpatine has given me permission to visit your dormitory."

The stone wall suddenly rumbled and slid aside as the faces of three terrified young Slytherins appeared before them.

"I think all three of you deserve detention for your behaviour today," Eli said casually, striding into the Slytherin common room with a barely concealed grin. 

He didn't wait for them to answer and beelined straight for the room downstairs, closest to the lake floor. Padme followed him to the door.

Eli knocked. 

"Sir?" he called out. "It's me."

No answer.

Eli tried the door and it opened up, revealing the orderly room that looked as though it hadn't been touched since Thrawn's arrival.

"He's not here," the Minister observed.

"Hmmm," Eli wondered. 

He walked in to take a closer look out the large window just as the giant squid swam by. Its humongous eye winked at them as it glided past and Eli couldn't help but sigh.

"Too bad I can't ask him," he said, pointing to it.

"What about the other Slytherins?" Padme suggested.

"I guess it's worth a shot," Eli said reluctantly. He would rather swim down to the bottom of the lake and deal with the squid in all honesty but he kept that opinion to himself.

They climbed back up the stairs to the Common Room where more than a few students had congregated to see the Minister for Magic.

"Have any of you seen Thrawn?" Eli asked.

But the lot of them were unconcerned with what he had to say and several seventh years approached Padme to ask questions about summer internships.

"Please, I'm looking for the Chiss," she said politely. "All applications for internships have to go through our Employment Office."

But it didn't end. 

The mob only grew and the questions fired rapidly.

Eli scooched over towards Arihnda Pryce whom he caught sneering in the corner and tried to strike up a conversation.

"You haven't seen Thrawn today, have you?" he asked.

"Why? Did you lose him?" she spat. "Or maybe you drove him away with your stupidity?"

"Stupid or not, I did lose him. Any idea where he went?"

"Like I care." She turned to go.

"I know you do," Eli said. "Maybe I should tell him the next time I see him?"

"You wouldn't dare." Her face hardened.

"Oh, I dunno. I'm just a stupid Hufflepuff, after all." Eli shrugged.

Arihnda glared at him and shook her head.

"He was in the library this morning," she said and stalked off.

"Thank you!" Eli called over the tumult.

He made his way over to the Minister who was politely farewelling the Slytherins as they escorted her from the dungeons with much more respect than they had previously shown. 

"He was in the library this morning," he whispered to her.

"Alright, everyone get back. Let the Minister breathe," he said more loudly. 

They managed to escape the common room and slither all the way out of the dungeons before speaking again.

"You think he's still at the library?" Padme asked.

"Maybe," Eli shrugged. "At the very least, Madame Winter will have seen him."

"She still works there?" Padme smiled.

"Yes. Never forgets a thing," Eli said. "I've had a few unfortunate encounters with her regarding overdue library books so perhaps she'll be more willing to speak with you there."

"Really?" Padme smirked. "I wouldn't have pegged you as the type to return library books late."

"It's not my fault," Eli said defensively. "Thrawn just doesn't understand the concept of libraries in general. There's only one copy of a book at a time. It stands to reason that someone else might need it."

"Do Chiss not have libraries?"

"If they do, they apparently have a limitless supply of books because he acts like he owns them." Eli threw his hands up in exhasperation but quickly remembered who he was talking to.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I shouldn't be complaining. I just don't like getting into trouble."

"It's alright," Padme said as they entered the library.

Their every sense was assaulted by the copious quantity of books that occupied the shelves, desks, chairs, tables and floors. Even the windowsills overflowed with ancient scrolls and texts which Eli feared to open and release decades worth of accumulated dust.

Upon closer inspection, there were no Chiss in sight but they found Madame Winter in one of the many aisles, doing her best to tidy the tower by putting books away. She remembered the location of each text, regardless of size, weight or subject and to her, the order didn't matter so much as the memory.

"Madame Winter?" Eli called, walking over.

The elegant woman turned to face them. Her long hair was white and her face had failed to significantly age in the last decade. Her mood was as always, serene.

"Yes, Mr Vanto?" she said. "Minister?" She bowed her head.

"Have you seen Thrawn by any chance today?" he asked timidly.

Her calm face instantly soured.

"Unfortunately," she replied, taking a deep controlled breath. 

"He's yet to recoup my copy of Enchantment and Etiquette of the Eighteeth Century," she seethed.

"Ah," Eli said. "Well. Perhaps you could point us in his direction so I can convince him to give it back to you?"

"Very well," Madame Winter agreed. "I spoke to him last at the library counter as he was leaving."

"Did he say where he was going?"

"He asked why the Ministry would send Aurors to a school."

"And what did you tell him?" Padme asked curiously.

"I told him they would probably send Aurors to assess the school's safety for the Triwizard Tournament."

"And what did he say?" 

"That he would return."

Eli sighed. "He didn't say when?"

"No."

"Then it seems we've reached a dead end," Padme said tiredly. "Thank you, Madame Winter."

"Don't you want to know where he went?"

Eli cultivated a quizzical expression.

"I thought you said you didn't know?"

"I never said that." She slotted an old tome into the shelf where it belonged. "He was invited to the Great Hall by Ketsu Onyo upon leaving the library. I assume that is where he is."

"Oh. Thank you very much, Madame Winter," Eli said.

"Yes, your assistance has been invaluable," the Minister agreed.

"See that you uphold your end of the bargain, Mister Vanto." The pale woman looked at him sternly. "I want my books back."

"Yes, of course, Madame Winter. I'll return them to you as soon as I can," Eli promised.

"It was nice seeing you again," Padme smiled kindly.

"The feeling is mutual, Minister," she said quietly. "Farewell."

Her attention was turned once again to the many books and scrolls on her trolley as Eli and Padme doubled back to exit the library.

They left the book infested tower to travel down into the castle's core. The corridors were long and lined with statues and paintings but a newcomer would be hard pressed to tell them apart.

"Who is Ketsu Onyo?" Padme talked as they walked.

"Oh, she's a fifth year Slytherin student," Eli summarized. "Started a club called the Mando'ade to teach students wandless self defence."

"Wandless?" Padme wondered out loud.

"Yeah," Eli shrugged. "It's just a fad. Everyone will forget about it in a month or two."

"Where would she get an idea like that?"

Eli knew this question was coming but he still had to look out the passing window to disguise his guilty face.

"Beats me," he said, trying to sound casual.

He hated lying but what could he say? Describe how Thrawn put Professor Konstantine in the Hospital Wing for two weeks?

"And this Ketsu girl wanted Thrawn to come down to the Great Hall?"

"Sounds like it," Eli agreed, unsure whether he should be worried or relieved.

"Does he engage with the students often?" Padme asked suspiciously. 

"Well, it's kind of unavoidable in a school," Eli reasoned, feeling the Minister's disbelief wash over him.

"And what do the other students think of him?" Padme asked quietly.

Eli swallowed.

"They're a little scared, I think."

"And why is that?"

"Well, he's blue and he's got red eyes that glow in the dark. And he's kinda taller than all of them," Eli described leisurely as they walked, aware of the time it was taking for them to get to the Great Hall with his elaborate route.

"You'd think such a characteristic silhouette would be easier to spot," Padme observed.

"Well, he doesn't usually leave a trail to follow," Eli said. 

"Or he has an accomplice."

The young Hufflepuff swallowed.

"Me?" he said, abashed. "You think I know where he is?"

Eli stopped in his tracks.

"I swear, Minister. I have no idea. Use Legilimency if you must." He crossed his heart.

Padme sighed.

"There's no need for such things, Eli. If you say you don't know, then I trust your word."

"Thank you, Minister," he said gratefully, resuming his walking speed.

They entered a stairwell and Eli went first as the passage was quite narrow.

"He must be a very good friend to you," Padme said quietly.

And Eli winced.

"Well, I... wouldn't say friend. Perhaps, partner in crime? No. No. Definitely not." He mentally berated himself. "Acquaintance?"

"It's alright, Eli. You can say friend."

His head fell indignantly.

"I honestly don't know where he is, Minister. He's like a ghost most of the time. No one knows what he's doing but when he shows up everything happens all at once."

"I see." Padme nodded thoughtfully touching her chin.

"Do you think we'll find him in the Great Hall?" she asked.

"Well, it's almost dinner time." Eli looked at his watch. "He might show up."

"Might?"

"He doesn't always."

"This is ridiculous." Padme sighed. "I should have the Aurors search for him when they're done."

"They might have found him already," Eli suggested. "We're almost there."

They walked the rest of the way quietly. The young man walking beside the Minister was very much aware of her disapproval but he didn't want to disappoint Thrawn either. And if he was caught, Eli would likely be found complicit for aiding and abetting. And he sorely didn't want to go to Azkaban.

The Minister didn't know, of course, that Eli and Thrawn had been moonlighting as investigators and impersonating Aurors but one more slip up on his part and she may begin to suspect.

He stepped into the Entrance Hall eagerly, his feet surely navigating the flood of students, some of which parted when they saw the Minister for Magic coming their way.

They made it through the grand double doors of the Great Hall and found it filling up with students but instead of sitting down, they were all gathered in clusters around certain Auror folk.

"Anakin!" Padme called out over the crowd and beelined in his direction, leaving Eli to fend for himself.

The young man took a deep breath and sighed it out, relieved that his ordeal was over.

They hadn't found Thrawn but that wasn't his fault. As far as the Minister could tell, he'd done the best he could and now it was time to indulge his argumentative stomach.

Eli sat down at the relatively empty Hufflepuff table and proceeded to stuff his face. No one fought him for a scoop of mash or a slice of roast beef and by the time everyone else had sat down, he was almost finished.

"Hey, Eli," Jai straddled the bench with a grin on his face. "Where have you been?"

"Oh, around." He shrugged, picking at apple pie.

"Look what I got..." Jai unrolled a copy of the Daily Prophet with a massive inky signature covering most of the page.

Eli looked at it a bit closer, then moved his head right back to scope out the big scribble.

"Oh, Skywalker?"

"Damn right."

"Where'd you catch him?"

"Near the kitchens," Jai said proudly. "And look, I got Tano too." He flipped the page.

"That's awesome," Eli said. "You gonna keep it?"

"Well, I was gonna but then I saw how many galleons it's worth so I'm still thinking about it..."

"Wotcher, Eli," Zane sat down across from them. "You get Skywalker and Tano, Jai?"

"Yeah, go on, take a look."

"What's there to look at?" The other boy said with a sheepish grin.

He casually reached into his robes and pulled out three collectable portrait cards and fanned his face.

"Are those chocolate frog cards?"

 _"Signed chocolate frog cards,"_ Zane corrected. "You know how rare Kenobi is?"

"Give us a look then!" Jai swiped them from his hands. "Wow, these must be worth a fortune."

"Have they made one for Skywalker yet?" Eli asked.

"No," Zane said. "But I heard rumours they might do next year."

"Too bad, eh?" Jai passed him back the cards.

"Yeah. Oh, and don't tell anyone I have these."

The two boys zipped their lips and promptly opened them to feast.

Eli finished off his pie and turned to look at the teacher's table that stood at the front of the Hall. They were all there. The teachers, joined by the Minister, the Aurors and Headmaster Palpatine in the center. All chatting pleasantly amongst themselves and Eli wondered if any of the conversation concerned him or Thrawn.

His eyes instinctively flickered toward the end of the Slytherin table where the Chiss usually sat. But the seat was occupied by a young girl and her friends, all garbed in black and green.

The shrill sound of steel tinkling against glass rang out through the hall, garnering his and every other student's attention.

All idle conversation murmured away, accompanied by the sound of discarded cutlery and plates.

From the centre of the long table where all the teachers sat, rose the dark hooded figure of Professor Palpatine and spoke.

"Good evening, students. I hope everyone has had a most productive day," he said with a knowing smile. 

"I'm sure all of you have recognised our guests from the Ministry of Magic and have even taken the liberty to introduce yourselves so perhaps we shall move on to the announcement."

A murmur ran through the whispering students, table to table, wall to wall as rumours and theories whirled through young minds and mouths.

"With the Minister's approval, Hogwarts will host the long awaited Triwizard Tournament this year," he said.

The rumbling murmurs between students emerged once again and Palpatine raised his hands to ask for silence.

"For those of you who are not familiar: the Triwizard Tournament is a competition between three young wizards or witches from three different schools. Since Hogwarts will be hosting the tournament this year, eligible students from Durmstrang and Beauxbaton's Academy will be staying here for the duration."

 _"Beauxbaton's? Isn't that the French school?"_ Jai nudged Eli.

_"I think so. Are we going to share dorms?"_

"For safety reasons, students wishing to compete in the Tournament must be at least seventeen years of age."

 _"Darn,"_ Zane grumbled.

_"Hey, cheer up. You can enter the next one."_

_"Yeah, but it won't be at Hogwarts."_

"However I must stress upon each of the potential applicants that this Tournament is not to be taken lightly. Fame and glory awaits the Champion who bests his competitors but danger and death may befall even the most talented of witches and wizards." A tiny grin crinkled Palpatine's wrinkled face. 

"But that is a worry for another time. For now, I ask that you make ready to receive more visitors and show them the hospitality for which Hogwarts is renowned. Thank you."

The old man sat down and the Great Hall erupted into feverish discussion. 

"Who'd you think s'gonna be the Hufflepuff champion?" Zane asked across the table.

"I don't think it will be a Hufflepuff," Eli said honestly. "None of the seventh years are that good at duelling or charms."

"Gryffindor champ will be Tristan Wren, for sure."

"Kallus or Pryce from Slytherin."

"What about Thrawn?"

"What about him?" Eli smirked.

"He'd totally smash it."

"I don't think he would be interested," Eli said, chuckling. "He'd say it's barbaric to make children risk their lives so frivolously."

"Sounds pretentious."

"Hey, you heard what Palpatine said. People die in the Triwizard Tournament. I'm surprised they even let it go ahead."

"Yeah, with all the terrorist attacks in London, it's a miracle the Ministry let us have any fun at all."

"The Minister trusts Palpatine," Eli pointed out. "It's the only reason I can think of."

"I guess they wanna show the other countries we're still in control." Zane nodded.

 _"Control?"_ Jai shook his head. "Did you see the Daily Prophet this morning?"

"No..." Eli said cautiously.

"They found a bunch of thieves hiding out under a church in Chiswick."

Eli's eyes widened.

"Really?"

"Yeah, Aurors took them in and confiscated all the things they stole."

"Good for them." Eli smiled.

"Yeah but you haven't heard the best part," Jai said. "My dad works in the Stolen Magical Artifacts Office and he says the goods went missing on their way to the Ministry."

"What?" Eli blurted out again. _"Sorry,"_ he lowered his voice. 

"Right from under their noses?" Zane said.

"In broad daylight?" Eli asked.

"Yep. They interviewed a jeweller that lives in Chiswick and he said it was a tall Russian chap and some kid."

Eli felt his heart plummet into his full stomach.

"Did he say anything else?"

"I dunno. Just what dad told me."

Eli swallowed hard.

"Uuuh, I have to use the bathroom," he said, climbing off the bench.

"Thanks for letting us know," Jai laughed.

But Eli wasn't smiling. 

He walked quickly down the long gap between tables and snuck out of the Great Hall while discussion of the upcoming Tournament was still raging.

The Entrance Hall was empty save for a few snoring portraits and Eli rushed down the corridor and into the boys lavatory. He sat down in one of the cubicles and tried to breathe.

This was it.

They knew.

The Ministry knew. 

Padme Amidala had been using him to find Thrawn but the sneaky Chiss anticipated this strategy and parted ways with Eli before he could be apprehended. Leaving the poor Hufflepuff in the lurch.

He was probably halfway across the country by now. If not halfway across the world. And Eli was stuck at Hogwarts explaining himself to these Ministry Officials. Would he be tried? Allowed to explain himself? Or was he already expelled? A prisoner of Azkaban before he even knew it?

There was a knock on the cubicle door.

"Occupied," Eli snapped.

"I know," Thrawn's voice echoed through the chamber.

Eli tore open the door.

"Thrawn?"

The Chiss looked down at him oddly, red eyes glittering with curiousity.

"Am I interrupting?"

"What? No." Eli bolted upright. "Where have you been?"

"We agreed to keep a certain distance between us."

"You knew!" Eli spat. "You knew they knew." He poked an accusing finger into Thrawn's cloak.

"I suspected." He shrugged casually. "But they don't know. Not for certain."

"They know a tall Russian man and a boy talked to Jeeves before they found the thieves under the church. The silverite was stolen on its way to the Ministry."

"I know."

"You know?!"

Thrawn looked down at him sternly, red eyes glistening. 

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"The less information I gave you, the less information you could..." He paused to think. "Rasprostranit'?"

"Disseminate?" Eli rolled his eyes. "Did you really think I would tell them?"

"No. Not verbally."

"What does that mean?"

"You played your part well," he said. 

"What aren't you telling me?"

The Chiss looked down at Eli's chest where the tiny Prefect badge was pinned to the sweater under his cloak.

"Many things."

"And you're not going to tell me now," Eli said sourly.

"No." The crimson eyes glistened.

Eli sighed.

"So what do we do now?"

"I won't ask any more of you," Thrawn told him. "And I've come to realise that involving you in my affairs was reckless."

"You can't shut me out." Eli shook his head. "Not after Chiswick. I'm part of this too now."

Thrawn's mouth tightened.

"You can't protect me," Eli said. "If they find you, they find me too."

"No. They can't arrest a minor and Professor Palpatine will provide an alibi for you."

"How do you know?"

"I've arranged it."

"You _told_ him?" Eli glared up at the expressionless Chiss.

"You'll be safe," he promised. "If any trouble comes of this, you have no ties to me."

"The hell I don't." Eli shook his head. "You're my friend, Thrawn."

The crimson eyes wavered a little but he didn't blink.

"I'm not gonna let you do this alone."

Thrawn's lip let slip a tremor of annoyance.

"It is my understanding that friends don't put each other in jeopardy."

"Little late for that." Eli folded his arms.

"I'm relieving you of this burden. Can you not see this?"

"Oh, I see," Eli smirked. "You just want to be the hero and take credit for everything yourself."

"That is not my intention at all."

"Oh, sure," Eli said with much sarcasm. "If you know everything and haven't run back to wherever you came from, then we're probably not in trouble at all. In fact, there's probably some kind of reward for helping find all the silverite."

"There is not."

"I bet the Minister's here to personally thank you for your service."

"That assumption is incorrect."

"In fact," Eli grinned. "I'm going to go tell her right now."

The Chiss frowned visibly.

"I'm gonna do it," Eli said, walking toward the door. "Gonna march right into the Great Hall and tell everyone about it."

He pushed the creaky door open and made a show of stepping outside.

Thrawn didn't move, his eyes following the young man with contempt.

Eli left the lavatory and let the door slam shut behind him. He took a few steps down the corridor then slowed. He waited a few seconds and looked back but Thrawn did not follow.

He waited another minute. The Chiss was bound to come stop him eventually so he kept walking slowly toward the Great Hall. The sound of many students gossiping behind the massive oak doors rippled through his ears but the lavatory door remained silent.

He wasn't coming.

He was calling Eli's bluff.

The young man sighed and turned back and there he was.

"Don't," Thrawn said quietly. "We're not discovered yet. I was simply taking precautions."

"You were spying on them, weren't you?" Eli said, stepping away from the door.

Thrawn nodded.

"I needed to ascertain their intentions before any encounter took place."

"Did you find out anything?" Eli asked as they started on a familiar trail into the bowels of the castle.

"The many haired one, Kit Fisto, spoke of a tournament where three young wizards compete in perilous trials."

"The Triwizard Tournament." Eli nodded. "Professor Palpatine just announced it."

"The masked one, Plo Koon, said something I didn't quite understand."

"Can I help?" Eli asked.

Thrawn nodded.

"His exact words were 'EU policies do not dictate Britain's Ministry or government. We will do what is best for our people.'"

"What part didn't you understand?"

"The subtext," Thrawn said as they rode the wayward staircase to a landing completely opposite from the one they needed to reach. 

"I guess he meant the European Union can't tell them whether they can or can't have a Tournament right now," Eli said. "They must have advised against it what with all the terror attacks and robberies. Hogwarts is basically painting a great big target on itself."

"This is true but I fear there is more."

"You? Afraid?" Eli smirked, alighting from the rogue staircase before it could change its mind.

"Something is wrong."

"You getting a gut feeling?"

Thrawn fell silent and Eli turned to spot him frowning. 

"Instinct? Chootyo?"

"No," he said sternly. "I am missing information."

"What kind?" Eli asked, resuming their detour into lower levels.

"The kind law enforcement would possess..."

"You wanna talk to the Aurors?" Eli said. "It'd be a dead giveaway."

"Mmm. We would lose anonimity and safety," he said. "Which is why I wanted to do this alone."

"I get it," Eli said. "And I appreciate it. Really."

Thrawn gave him a tiny nod.

"I fear this goes far beyond Chiswick and Hogwarts," he said. "There is great danger coming."

"Is that why you came?" Eli asked suddenly. "To Hogwarts, I mean. Did you know?"

"You could call it a 'gut feeling.'"

The young Hufflepuff smiled. "Was that a joke?"

"How was my execution?"

"A little dry but you pulled it off."

"I will work harder to improve."

"See that you do, sir." Eli grinned. "This is me," he said, pointing to the corridor.

"Mmm. Good night." Thrawn turned and walked off.

Eli watched him go, black cape trailing into the shadows.

"Sir!" Eli called out.

The dark figure turned abruptly, red eyes glowing through the gloom between torches.

"If you want to do this I won't stop you," Eli said. "Just know that I have your back if it all comes crashing down."

The red eyes blinked and turned away, hidden once again by the darkness as Thrawn walked away.

"Good night, Eli."

The boy watched him disappear down the stairs into the dungeons and sighed.

"Good night..."


End file.
